The following are “knows” from the syllabus
- Splenorrhaphy
Splenic embolization, has made splenic salvage an infrequent procedure in surgical practice.
Splenorrhaphy
- Suture repair of the spleen
- Intraparenchymal bleeding is controlled first
- Followed by reapproximation of the splenic tissue and capsule when possible
- Hemostasis can be achieved with topical hemostatic agents, electrocautery, or argon beam coagulation
- Mass closure technique using absorbable sutures, with or without supporting pledgets, is used to reapproximate the splenic tissue
- When reapproximation of the tissue is not feasible due to tissue friability, a tongue of omentum can be laid into the open defect and sutured into place.
Mesh
- The spleen can be wrapped in an absorbable hemostatic mesh to facilitate tissue approximation and effect tamponade.
- The use of mesh does not appear to be associated with increased infection rates, even in patients who underwent mesh splenorrhaphy and concomitant bowel repair
Partial splenectomy
- Partial splenectomy is a form of splenic salvage and refers to the removal of a portion of the spleen based on its segmental blood supply.
- Partial splenectomy leaves behind a raw surface, which may have an unacceptably high risk of recurrent hemorrhage, especially in patients with coagulopathy and those at risk for high venous pressures (eg, portal vein injury, preexisting cirrhosis).
- Accordingly, partial splenectomy is an infrequently selected technique to manage splenic injury.
- The hilar vessels supplying the irreparably damaged portion of the spleen are ligated and divided.
- After the surface of the spleen is demarcated into viable and nonviable portions, the nonviable portion is removed using a scalpel or electrocautery.
- The cut edge of the remaining spleen is managed using the splenorrhaphy techniques discussed above.