Spleen

• Spleen

  • Large soft lymphatic organ
  • Reddish purple in colour
  • 2.5cm thick, 7cm wide, 12cm long about 200g

  
• Spleen location

  • The spleen is located in upper left quadrant of the abdomen, just beneath the diaphragm and adjacent to the stomach, specifically the left hypochondriac region.

  It lies posterior to the 9th, 10th, and 11th ribs.

  
• Spleen has 2 surfaces

  • Diaphragmatic: smooth convex surface
  • related to left part of diaphragm

  
• Spleen has 2 ends

  • Anterior end: lies posteriosuperiorly, is rounded snd reaches the upper pole of left kidney
  • Anterior end: lies anterioinferiorly, is expanded and reaches mid-axillary line

  
• • Spleen is related superiorly, posteriorly and laterally to left part of diaphragm
  • Anteriorly to posterior surface of stomach
  • Inferiorly to left colic flexure
  • Medially to left kidney

  
• Viceral surface of spleen

  • Rough
  • Has 3 impressions: gastric impression related to fundus of stomach
  • Renal impression: related to left kidney
  • Colic impression: related to left colic flexure
  • Pancreatic impression: related to tail of pancreas

  
• Function of spleen

  • Spleen is largest lymphoid organ
  • Prenatally, spleen is a hematopoietic organ
  • After birth, spleen is primarily involved in identifying, removing and destroying old RBCs and broken down platelets
  • serves as reservoir for blood (stores RBC and releases it when needed.
  • Provided immunity to body
• Peritoneal relations of spleen

  • Spleen is completely covered by peritoneum except at hilum (where splenic branches if splenic artery and vein enter and leave spleen) from where peritoneum extends into: stomach (gastrosplenic ligament) + left kidney (liorenal ligament)
• Ligaments of spleen

  • Gastrosplenic ligament: connects hilum of spleen to greater curvature of stomach. Contains btw the 2 layers the short gastric vessels and left gastroomental (gastroepiploic) vessels
  • Ileorenal ligament: connects hilum of spleen to left kidney. Contains btw the 2 layers the splenic artery and vein + tail of pancreas.

  
• Blood supply of spleen

  • Spleenic artery branch of celiac trunk
  • passes through liorenal ligament to reach hilum where it divides into 5 more branches that enter spleen to supply it.
• Venous drainage of spleen

  • Tributaries of spleenic vein that unites with superior mesenteric behind neck of pancreas to form portal vein
  • Lymphatic drainage: splenic lymph nodes, celiac lymph nodes, pancreaticospleenic lymph nodes
• Blood supply of spleen

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• Venous drainage of spleen


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• Spleen histology

  
• Spleen general description