Table of Contents
Definition / general | Case reports | Microscopic (histologic) images | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Mansouri J. Accessory. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/spleenaccessoryspleen.html. Accessed April 19th, 2024.
Definition / general
- Present in 20 - 33% of autopsies
- Usually small (up to 4 cm), resembles normal spleen macroscopically and microscopically
- Near splenic hilum, gastrosplenic ligament, tail of pancreas (Pancreas 2011;40:956)
- Important to document or find in patients with splenectomy for hematologic disease
- Intrapancreatic accessory spleen may contain increased fibrous stroma, pancreatic islet tissue and indistinct border with adjacent pancreatic parenchyma
- May contain epithelial cysts
- Rare cases can result in torsion, sometimes presenting with either intermittent abdominal pain or acute abdomen
Case reports
- 3 year old girl with situs inversus and torsion of accessory spleen (J Med Invest 2012;59:220)
- 60 year old woman with 18 x 11 mm hypoechoic mass in tail of pancreas (Case of the Week #406)
- Lymphoepithelial cyst and epidermoid cyst in accessory spleen located in pancreas (Mod Pathol 1998;11:1171)
Microscopic (histologic) images
Case of the Week #406
10x
40x
H&E
CD8
CD56
Chromogranin
Synaptophysin
Differential diagnosis
