Laparoscopic management of splenic cysts: marsupialization, cavity lining with surgicel and omentopexy to prevent recurrence.

INTRODUCTION: Open total splenectomy, once the treatment of choice for splenic cysts, has largely been replaced by laparoscopic, splenic preserving procedures. These techniques have resulted in reduced hospitalization times and rates of overwhelming postsplenectomy infection. We report 2 cases of laparoscopic management of large, symptomatic splenic cysts.
METHODS: Two patients presented with symptomatic splenic cysts. The first was a simple cyst by history, the second a posttraumatic cyst. Both patients were treated by laparoscopic cyst marsupialization followed by lining the cavity with Surgicel (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) and performance of an omentopexy.
RESULTS: Both procedures were performed without complication. At 25 months, neither patient showed any evidence of symptomatic or radiologic recurrence. Pathology confirmed the preoperative diagnoses.
CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic marsupialization of splenic cysts in combination with lining the cyst cavity with Surgicel and omentopexy is a safe, feasible, and efficacious method of management with excellent results at 25-month follow-up.