During the eight-year period from July 1, 1960, through June 30, 1968, 308 splenectomies were done at the Naval Hospital, San Diego, Calif. One hundred of these were performed in the treatment of splenic or parasplenic diseases, that is, hemopoietic, inflammatory, or malignant. One hundred eight were performed following iatrogenic splenic injury for parasplenic disease. Iatrogenic injury usually occurred during surgical procedures about the esophageal hiatus: hernioplasty, vagotomy with pyloroplasty, or vagotomy with hemigastrectomy. One hundred splenectomies were performed upon patients who had sustained a traumatic splenic injury. It is this last group that we wish to present in detail.
Material
Twenty-two of the patients who sustained splenic trauma were 15 years of age or younger. The etiological forces producing the trauma in this age group are as follows:Falls (over 3 feet) 4(less than 3 feet) 5Auto accidents 8Other blunt trauma 5Penetrating trauma 0A