Iatrogenic splenic injury during anterior thoracolumbar spinal surgery. Case report

The proximity of major abdominal structures encountered in the approach for an anterior thoracolumbar spinal operation makes patients vulnerable to potential intraoperative complications. The spleen, in particular, can be easily injured during manipulation or from being under retractors for a number of hours, although it is a rarely reported phenomenon in the literature. The authors report on a 52-year-old man who suffered a spleen laceration following anterior L1-2 corpectomy and fusion for osteomyelitis of the lumbar spine. The patient required an emergency splenectomy, but he made a full recovery.