Laparoscopic splenic surgery - Report about 17 own cases

Since the beginning of the decade we can remark an increasing of publications about laparoscopic approach in splenic surgery. We report about 17 unselected own cases (8 males, 9 females). Main indications were 12 hematologic diseases: 9 idiopathic thrombopenic purpuras, 1 hemolytic anemia, 1 Hodgkin's disease and 1 recurrent splenic infarction with hypersplenism and extramedulary hemapoiesis, further 1 unclear sepsis with focal lesions and splenomegaly, 1 dysontogenetic splenic cyst, 1 splenic co-affection of Wegener's disease, and 2 traumatic lesions. We performed in 13 cases asplenectomy, under these 1 time combined with a laparoscopic hernioplasty and 1 time with a complete staging, further in 1 case a partial splenic resection, in 1 case a diagnostic excision and in 2 cases a hemostyptic management without splenectomy. We had to convert in no case, the lethality rate was also 0. As a complication we noted one postoperative bleeding, we could managing also laparoscopically. Our mean operating time of 137 min was evident shorter than the published ones by other authors. Because of our good results and the excellent tolerance by patients we can recommend this proceeding. Nevertheless, it should be limited for surgeons with a large experience at laparoscopic centers.