SPLENECTOMY IN PAEDIATRIC AGE GROUP

Abstract

Background: In view of splenectomy in dealing with certain clinical problems in paediatric age group.

Objective: To describe the profile, indications, post-operative management and outcomes of children undergoing splenectomy.

Methods: All children undergoing splenectomy from June’2019 till August’2021 at INDEX MEDICAL COLLEGE, INDORE, M.P.

Results: The mean age at surgery was 9.9 years (range 3-16). Most splenectomies were per-formed for haematological disorders and were open .The mean post-operative length of stay (LOS) in patients who underwent open surgery was 4 days. No cases of overwhelming post splenectomy infec-tion (OPSI) were noted. At study completion, haematological disorders were the most common indication for splenectomy in children.

Conclusion: Indications for paediatric splenectomy mirror those found in international litera-ture. We haven't performed splenectomy, laparoscopically. Within this short span of time, no mortal-ity was recorded. We did not have any case of OPSI.

Key words: splenectomy