Splenectomy for hypersplenism.

The five-year experience with 75 consecutive splenectomies has been reviewed. Special detail was given to eight critically ill hypersplenic patients. Their diagnoses included Hodgkin's disease, lymphoma, leukemia, myelofibrosis and Felty's syndrome. Three presented with sepsis, two with anemia not responsive to transfusion, three had pathologic bleeding and two could not receive additional needed therapy of underlying disease because of low counts. All cases responded to splenectomy favorably. Hypersplenism is primarily a loss of balance between the splenic destruction-sequestration and bone marrow production. The demonstrated rapid consumption of transfused cells and some degree of functional reserve of the bone marrow is the prerequisite and clue for splenectomy response in critically ill patients.