94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
CASE REPORT article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Hematology and Hematological Malignancies
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1581533
Case report: Post-splenectomy bulky pelvic splenosis in an adolescent with hereditary spherocytosis
Provisionally accepted
Benedetta Elena Di Majo1,2
Nicolò Peccatori1,2,3*
Alessandra Inzoli2,4
Luca Degrate5
Marta Jaconi6Michele Ratti7Alessandra Casiraghi7Giulia Maria Ferrari1Debora Sala1
Andrea Biondi1,2Paolo Passoni4
Paola Corti1- 1Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- 2School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
- 3Tettamanti Center, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- 4Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- 5Department of General and Emergency Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- 6Department of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
- 7Department of Radiology, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Splenectomy is a well-established therapeutic approach for pediatric hematologic disorders, especially in the case of hereditary spherocytosis (HS). In addition to the commonly acknowledged short-and long-term infectious and thrombotic complications, also splenosis represents a rare but noteworthy complication of splenectomy. Splenosis is characterized by the auto-transplantation and growth of splenic tissue in ectopic locations, following trauma or splenectomy. This condition can mimic malignancies, posing diagnostic challenges. We report the case of a 16-year-old girl with HS who presented with fever, abdominal pain, and a history of laparoscopic splenectomy ten years early. Imaging revealed a vascularized pelvic mass, initially suspected to be malignant. Diagnostic laparoscopy and histopathological analysis confirmed the mass as pelvic splenosis. The patient was asymptomatic, prompting a conservative management approach with regular follow-up. This case highlights the importance of considering splenosis in differential diagnoses for pelvic masses in patients with prior splenectomy, to ensure appropriate management and avoid unnecessary interventions.
Keywords: Splenosis, Splenectomy, Hereditary spherocytosis, Spleen, pediatric
Received: 22 Feb 2025; Accepted: 10 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Di Majo, Peccatori, Inzoli, Degrate, Jaconi, Ratti, Casiraghi, Ferrari, Sala, Biondi, Passoni and Corti. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nicolò Peccatori, Department of Pediatrics, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, Italy
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.