The anomalous splenic vein: a case report and review of the literature.

The spleen arises from a mesenchymal bulge at the 6-mm stage of development. There are a wide variety of splenic anomalies and variations that range from benign to clinically significant, and this article presents a brief review of splenic embryology and a case report of an anomalous splenic vein that precluded the formation of a Nissen fundoplication.