SPLEEN, Affections of.
Displacements of the Spleen are to be treated upon the lines laid down for the management of Glenard's Disease. The operations of splenopexy (fixing the organ in its normal position) and of splenectomy (removal of the spleen) have been frequently performed with success for floating spleen.
Abscesc of the spleen, when the result of a necessarily fatal condition as pytemia or advanced malignant endocarditis, is as a rule beyond the reach of treatment. Splenic abscess, the outcome of hydatid cyst suppuration, should be dealt with promptly by cutting down upon the site of the abscess, reaching it either throu;411 the pleural or abdominal route, and after evacuation of the pus establishing free drainage.
Ilvdatid cysts when detected are a clear indication for the removal of the organ, and splenectomy has likewise been successfully employed for a spleen the site of a sarcomatous Injuries of the spleen causing hmmorrhage from rupture should be promptly dealt with by opening the abdomen; the best subsequent pro cedure is to remove the entire organ, but if the laceration is found to be trivial the splenic wound may be carefully sealed up by suturing.
Infarction of the organ may be treated by rest and ice with Morphia hypodermically, but for a very great hemorrhage the spleen should be removed.
Enlargement of the spleen such as occurs in Leukwmia, Malaria, Anthrax, Cirrhosis of the Liver, Typhoid Fever, Valvular Diseases. Amyloid Degeneration, Hodgkin's Disease, Kala-Azar, Gall-Stones, etc., is a secondary event, and must be dealt with by the treatment suitable for the primary disease as detailed under the heading of each affection. The chronic enlarged spleen of malaria has been successfully removed in some cases, but splenectomy for the spleen is nearly always fatal.
The primary splenic enlargements as Simple or Primary Splenomegaly, Splenomegaly with Anemia, Banti's Disease, Splenic Anemia and Infantile Splenomegaly usually pursue a slowly progressive course in spite of all treatment. Removal of the organ in the early stages of the disease has proved successful in Banti's, Hanot's, von Jaksch's and Gaucher's Diseases, and in some instances X rays have given good results even in congenital splenomegaly.