The spleen can rightfully be considered the largest lymph node in our body. It performs important hematopoietic functions. However, it often happens that for some reason the spleen increases. In addition to problems with this body, this circumstance can affect the neighboring organs: the liver, kidney, stomach and intestines. This article will tell you what the enlarged spleen says.
The degree of enlargement of the spleen
How much the spleen is greatly enlarged is determined by four degrees:
- When the palpation of the spleen is determined by its lower pole, it protrudes from beneath the lower rib by one finger.
- The organ protrudes to the center between the navel and the hypochondrium.
- The spleen reaches the middle line.
- The spleen reaches the right side of the abdominal cavity or enters the pelvic region.
Causes of enlarged spleen in adults
The increase in this body, of course, is a sign of problems in the body. The reasons for which the spleen is enlarged, are of a varied nature and are mainly associated with any progressive disease. It is possible to list, at what diseases the spleen is enlarged:
- tumors and cysts of the spleen or liver;
- infectious or parasitic diseases (eg, giardiasis );
- circulatory insufficiency;
- leukemia, hematologic, granulomatous and other blood diseases.
For one reason or another, the spleen can grow and contract, thus accumulating blood or releasing it into the blood vessels. If you understand why the spleen is enlarged in this or that patient, it becomes clear that initially the organ acted in order to maintain the body. However, if the contraction of the spleen does not cause negative consequences, its increase and the injection of more blood into it can lead to excessive destruction of red blood cells, leukocytes and platelets. This will lower the overall level of these cells in the blood and inevitably lead, if not to anemia, then to an increased sensitivity of the body to infections.
Methods of treatment of an enlarged spleen
In fact, the methods of treating the spleen in case of its increase are not so much. First of all, the fight with the primary source of the disease begins. Then the question arises: what if the spleen is still enlarged? In this case, at an early stage of the disease with a slight increase in the body, you can try to cure it medically. However, this method, as a rule, does not give any guarantees and helps not all patients. And, in addition, the recovery of the spleen lasts long enough that sometimes increases the risk of damage to neighboring organs. Therefore very often the only true solution is to remove the spleen, and the sooner, the better. It is made by a surgical method. There are two ways of carrying out the operation:
- The classic method is to remove the organ through a wide incision in the peritoneal area with the help of standard surgical instruments.
- Laparoscopy - removal of the spleen with the help of several special instruments (laparoscopy) with a camera at the end. Laparoscopes are inserted under the skin through small holes (incisions).
Although laparoscopy has advantages, if we talk about the results of treatment of patients, but, nevertheless, such operations are much more risky than classical ones. The reason for this is that the surgeon does not see the tissues and organs directly, but also does not work with the hands, but with tools, so it is more difficult for him to calculate his actions. This sometimes leads to injury to neighboring organs during surgery.