-Case Reports-

Laparoscopic Unroofing of a Large Pseudocyst of the Spleen: Report of a Case

Takeshi Matsutani^1,2, Eiji Uchida¹, Tadashi Yokoyama^1,2, Akira Matsushita^1,2, Akihisa Matsuda^1,2 and Koji Sasajima^1,2

¹Surgery for Organ Function and Biological Regulation, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School
²Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School Tama Nagayama Hospital

The treatment of splenic cysts remains controversial. A 25-year-old Japanese woman with a 10-cm-long abdominal mass in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen complained of mild, dull pain. A huge splenic cyst was confirmed on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The cyst wall was adherent to the splenic parenchyma to approximately 30% of its maximum diameter, calculated with magnetic resonance imaging. Laparoscopic unroofing of the cyst was performed. After the great omentum adhering to the cystic wall of the spleen was dissected, branches from the splenic hilar vessels were clipped. Histological examination of the cyst revealed pseudocyst of the spleen. The postoperative course was uneventful. Laparoscopic unroofing is a safe surgical procedure for patients with symptomatic pseudocyst of the spleen.

J Nippon Med Sch 2009; 76: 319-322

Keywords
splenic cyst, pseudocyst, laparoscopic unroofing

Correspondence to
Takeshi Matsutani, MD, Department of Surgery, Nippon Medical School Tama Nagayama Hospital, 1-7-1 Nagayama, Tama, Tokyo 206-8512, Japan
matsutani@nms.ac.jp

Received, July 21, 2009
Accepted, September 25, 2009