Post-splenectomy syndrome

Alternative Names: Splenectomy - post-surgery syndrome

Post-splenectomy syndrome is a group of symptoms and signs that often occur after surgery to remove the spleen (splenectomy).

These include:

• Destruction of red blood cells
• Increased risk of getting severe infections, especially with certain bacteria, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis
• Thrombocytosis (increased platelet count, which can cause blood clots)

Potential Complications

Possible long-term medical problems include:

• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
• Pulmonary hypertension (a disease affecting the blood vessels in your lungs)

Shurin SB. The spleen and its disorders. In: Hoffman R, Benz EJ Jr., Shattil SJ, eds. Hoffman Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008:chap 163.

Spleen

Review Date: 2/28/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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