Elsevier

Journal of Pediatric Surgery

Volume 43, Issue 12, December 2008, Pages 2288-2290
Journal of Pediatric Surgery

Independent case reports
Partial splenectomy for littoral cell angioma

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2008.07.031Get rights and content

Abstract

Littoral cell angioma is a rare primary splenic tumor that is difficult to differentiate preoperatively from other benign and malignant splenic lesions and may have immunogenic origins. Preoperative ultrasound and computed tomographic scan showed that our patient's lesion was solitary and localized. Total splenectomy is usually required because littoral cell angioma is generally large and/or diffuse. However, a partial splenectomy was able to be performed, making this the first reported partial splenectomy for littoral cell angioma.

Section snippets

Case report

An 18-year-old girl was briefly evaluated after a motor vehicle collision, discharged, but returned 2 days later with vague abdominal pain and low-grade fever. Physical examination revealed mild left upper quadrant abdominal tenderness. The hemoglobin level had decreased for the 2 days from 10 to 8 g/dL, which prompted a computed tomographic (CT) scan of the abdomen. A splenic mass was found and initially interpreted as a splenic hematoma. The patient's medical history was extensive and

Discussion

Littoral cell angioma is a rare vascular tumor of the spleen that was first described in 1991 [1]. It arises from cells in the red-pulp sinuses and usually presents with anemia, pyrexia, or thrombocytopenia in either sex but typically in middle-aged adults with splenomegaly. Occasionally, children are affected [1], [2], [3]. Other diagnostic considerations are metastasis, hamartoma, hemangioma, lymphoma, and abscess. The tumor is benign, but malignant littoral cell angiosarcoma can occur [4].

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