Disease Information for Wandering spleen, congenital

congenital ectopic spleen with mass consequence; often muliple or accessory spleen; Wandering Spleen;Displaced Spleen; Drifting Spleen; Floating Spleen; Pelvic Spleen;

Splenic Ptosis; Splenoptosis; Systopic Spleen; WS.

Congenital wandering spleen is a very rare, randomly distributed, birth defect characterized by the absence or weakness of one or more of the ligaments that hold the spleen in its normal position in the upper left abdomen; The disorder is not genetic in origin; Instead of ligaments, the spleen is attached by a stalk-like tissue supplied with blood vessels (vascular pedicle); If the pedicle is twisted in the course of the movement of the spleen, the blood supply may be interrupted or blocked (ischemia) to the point of severe damage to the blood vessels (infarction); Because there is little or nothing to hold it in place the spleen "wanders" in the lower abdomen or pelvis where it may be mistaken for an unidentified abdominal (or pelvic) mass; Symptoms of wandering spleen are typically those associated with an abnormally large size of the spleen (splenomegaly) or the unusual position of the spleen in the abdomen; Enlargement is most often the result of twisting (torsion) of the splenic arteries and veins or, in some cases, the formation of a blood clot (infarct) in the spleen; "Acquired" wandering spleen may occur during adulthood due to injuries or other underlying conditions that may weaken the ligaments that hold the spleen in its normal position (eg, connective tissue disease or pregnancy)------ [NORD 2005]--------------------------

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