Laparoscopic conservative management of a spontaneously ruptured spleen: case report.

A case of an acute abdomen secondary to a ruptured spleen managed laparoscopically is presented. Laparoscopy is currently widely used for the initial diagnosis and management of such cases as an alternative to laparotomy due to the numerous advantages of the minimal access techniques. With widespread availability and adequate training in laparoscopy, minimal access surgery is likely to play a bigger role in the initial management of patients with an acute abdomen in Kenya. It is with this realisation that we present the case of a 25 year old male who presented with an acute abdomen and thrombocytopaenia due to a ruptured spleen following severe malaria that was managed laparoscopically. The aim is to highlight and encourage conservative management of acute abdomen due to splenic rupture in a patient with malaria.