Spleen Procedures

Laparoscopic Splenectomy

During laparoscopic splenectomy, the surgeon makes 3 small incisions in your abdomen. A tiny video camera is inserted into your abdomen through one of the incisions. The spleen is carefully mobilised from the surrounding organs such as the stomach, the colon and the tail of pancreas. The splenic vessels are carefully divided and ligated. The spleen is removed within a plastic bag from a small incision in the lower abdomen. The procedure takes about 2-2.5 hours and is done under general anaesthesia. The average length of stay is 2 days.

Laparoscopic splenectomy isn’t appropriate for everyone. A ruptured spleen usually requires open splenectomy. In some cases a surgeon may begin with a laparoscopic approach and find it necessary to make a larger incision because of scar tissue from previous operations or other complications.

Open Splenectomy

During open (traditional) splenectomy, the surgeon makes an incision in the middle of your upper abdomen and moves aside muscle and other tissue to reveal your spleen.The method used often depends on the size of the spleen. The larger the spleen, the more likely your surgeon will choose to do an open splenectomy.