Spontaneous splenic rupture in infectious mononucleosis.

A young man with an infectious mononucleosis underwent an emergency splenectomy for a spontaneous splenic rupture. This is a rather rare complication of mononucleosis caused on the one hand by a change in the histological structure of the spleen and on the other hand by a splenomegaly. The prognosis is favourable when the diagnosis is made on time and the correct treatment has been started immediately. With the exception of those cases which are haemodynamically stable (the lesion is limited and corresponds to a subcapsular haematoma), splenectomy remains the treatment of choice. Conservatively treated patients must be closely followed and at the first sign of destabilization, surgical intervention is required as soon as possible.