Non-traumatic splenic rupture: report of seven cases and review of the literature

To evaluate seven patients with non-traumatic splenic rupture (NSR). NSR is an uncommon dramatic abdominal emergency that requires immediate diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment to ensure the patient's survival. Within 11 years, seven cases were evaluated for patient characteristics, anamnesis and symptoms, method of diagnosis, findings of laparotomy, and etiology of NSR. There were six (86%) male and one female (14%) patient, whose mean age was 36 +/- 12.8 (17-56) years. We report here four cases of Plasmodium vivax malaria (cases I-IV), one case of hemodialysis (case V), one case of spontaneous splenic rupture (case VI), and one case of hairy cell leukemia (case VII). Splenectomy was performed in all patients. All of them made an uneventful recovery and were discharged in stable condition. NSR is a rare entity that needs a high index of suspicion for diagnosis. Using ultrasonography or computer tomography, and peritoneal aspiration of fresh blood may assist in the diagnosis of NSR. Increased awareness of NSR can enhance early diagnosis and effective treatment.