Spare the spleen: rationale and techniques.

For many years, a role for splenic function could not be established. Myths and folklore took the place of fact when it came to the spleen. Currently, splenic function is known to be important enough to justify surgical efforts that repair rather than excise the spleen after traumatic injury. Various repair techniques have been described, including many procedures that are appropriate to severe fragmenting splenic trauma. In a review of the experiences of 48 patients following splenorrhaphy using a variety of repair procedures, satisfactory results were achieved in 16 cases using a polyglycolic acid mesh wrap for splenic envelopment and parenchymal tamponade. There were no treatment failures or intra-abdominal infections associated with this newly described procedure.