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Laparoscopic Splenectomy

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Laparoscopic Surgery of the Abdomen

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Conclusion

Laparoscopic splenectomy should be considered the standard of care for patients who require splenectomy for ITP, hemolytic anemia, and other hematological disorders with primary splenic manifestations. Relative to open splenectomy, laparoscopic splenectomy appears to have equivalent clinical outcomes in terms of cure of the underlying disorder. However, LS results in less patient disability, shorter hospitalization, and probably less perioperative morbidity, although there are no prospective, randomized comparisons of the open and laparoscopic procedures. The cost of laparoscopic splenectomy to the health care institution may initially be higher, but medical cost differences will likely evolve in favor of the laparoscopic over the open procedure with increasing surgical experience. The indirect savings to society from reduced disability are significant but difficult to calculate.

Indications for LS are expanding based on the accrued experience of laparoscopic surgeons and the excellent outcomes to date. With continued advances in techniques and instrumentation, even patients with splenic trauma or massive splenomegaly may some day be managed laparoscopically.

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Authors
  1. Eric D. Whitman
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  2. L. Michael Brunt
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA

    Bruce V. MacFadyen Jr. MD (Professor) (Professor)

  2. General Surgery, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA

    Bruce V. MacFadyen Jr. MD (Professor) (Professor)

  3. St. Vincent’s Hospital and Health Center, Indianapolis, IN, 46260, USA

    Maurice E. Arregui MD (Director of Fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopy and Endoscopy and Ultrasound) (Director of Fellowship in Advanced Laparoscopy and Endoscopy and Ultrasound)

  4. Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Steve Eubanks MD (Associate Professor) (Associate Professor)

  5. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Steve Eubanks MD (Associate Professor) (Associate Professor)

  6. Centennial Medical Center, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA

    Douglas O. Olsen MD (Attending Surgeon) (Attending Surgeon)

  7. Department of Surgery, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA

    Jeffrey H. Peters MD (Professor) (Professor)

  8. General Surgery, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA

    Jeffrey H. Peters MD (Professor) (Professor)

  9. Department of Surgery, Section of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic, and Gastrointestinal Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA

    Nathaniel J. Soper MD (Professor) (Professor)

  10. Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, OR, 97227, USA

    Lee L. Swanström MD (Clinical Professor of Surgery) (Clinical Professor of Surgery)

  11. Department of Minimally Invasive Surgery, Legacy Health System, Portland, OR, 97227, USA

    Lee L. Swanström MD (Clinical Professor of Surgery) (Clinical Professor of Surgery)

  12. Department of Colorectal Surgery, Weston, FL, 33331, USA

    Steven D. Wexner MD (Chairman) (Chairman)

  13. Cleveland Clinic Florida, Weston, FL, 33331, USA

    Steven D. Wexner MD (Chairman) (Chairman)

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Whitman, E.D., Brunt, L.M. (2004). Laparoscopic Splenectomy. In: MacFadyen, B.V., et al. Laparoscopic Surgery of the Abdomen. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21780-0_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21780-0_27

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