Ruptured Spleen Following Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is generally a safe and well-accepted procedure. However, in a small percentage of patients, it is associated with complications, such as bleeding and injury to the bile duct and other viscera. Splenic injury as a result of laparoscopic surgery has been reported only in the context of direct trauma, for example due to retraction in hand-assisted urologic surgery. To date, there have been no reported cases of patients requiring splenectomy following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We report an unusual case of ruptured spleen presenting less than 28 days following “uncomplicated” laparoscopic cholecystectomy. RESULTS: A 52-year-old female presented to our Accident and Emergency department 3 weeks following “uncomplicated” laparoscopic cholecystectomy, complaining of severe left upper quadrant pain radiating to the left shoulder tip. Clinical examination revealed a patient in hypovolemic shock, with localized left upper quadrant peritonism. Abdominal computed tomography supported a diagnosis of splenic rupture, and the patient required an emergency splenectomy. DISCUSSION: Splenic injury rarely complicates laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We postulate that either congenital or posttraumatic adhesions of the parietal peritoneum to the spleen may have caused the capsule to tear away from the spleen when the pneumoperitoneum was established, resulting in subcapsular hematoma and subsequent rupture in this patient. Videoscopic assessment of the spleen at the end of laparoscopic cholecystectomy might be a worthwhile exercise to aid early recognition and management in such cases.