Spleen
spleen is bordered ______ by the left kidney, splenic flexure of the colon, pancreatic tail
medially
normally the spleen is not _______ by physical examination (about the size of a clenched fist)
palpable
rare locations for accessory spleens include ____ and ____
pelvis scrotum
The spleens major function is to filter the ___________ blood
peripheral
Covered by ________, with the exception of the hilum
peritoneum
A normal variant; ______ is when there are multiple small spleens; usually two larger splenic structures and many smaller accessory-type spleens located along the greater curvature of the stomach and which may extend into the right RUQ
polysplenia
The _____ _____ exits the hilum and courses along the gastrolienal ligament to its confluence with the SMV to form the PV
splenic vein
The most common reason in imaging the spleen is to detect for ______
splenomegaly (enlarged spleen)
Spleen is bordered anteriorly by the ____
stomach
Accessory spleens other names are:
supernumerary spleens or splenunculi
most common approach to visualizing the spleen is to maintain the patient in the____ position and place the transducer in the coronal plane of section posteriorly in one of the lower left intercostal spaces
supine
Anything more than ____--____cm in length is a concern for splenomegaly.
12-13cm measure superior to inferior
The spleen has ___ components joined at the hilum
2
at least __ images of the spleen should be recorded in the longitudinal and transverse planes
2
Spleen AP dimension should measure between __-__cm. thick
3-4
transverse measurement (lateral to medial) should measure ___ cm. in width
7
A normal variant; ________ spleens results from failure of fusion of separate splenic masses forming on the dorsal mesogastrium
accessory
____ spleens may be mistaken for lymphadenopathy or pancreatic, renal, or suprarenal masses
accessory
______ spleens are quite common and have no clinical significance
accessory
_______ spleen is found in up to 10% to 30% of the general population
accessory
typically, when a splenectomy is performed the ______ _____ is also removed
accessory spleen
A normal variant; ________ is a failure in normal embryogenesis that leads to the congenital absence of the spleen
aplasia
advance atrophy is sometimes referred to as________
autosplenectomy
Active in ____ formation (hematopoiesis), during the initial part of fetal life
blood
easiest to scan intercostally from a _____ approach
coronal
on transverse scans it has a crescent appearance usually with a large ____ component
medial
The spleen defenses against______
disease
_______ increases with enlargement
echogenicity
____ spleens may be congenital or related to trauma; regardless of the cause, they are prone to torsion and infarction
ectopic
______ spleen occurs when supporting ligaments are dysfunctional or lax
ectopic
pts may have an asymptomatic abdominal or pelvic mass if they have an _____ spleen
ectopic
when the spleen enlarges, the accessory spleens may _____
enlarge
Spleen is essential to life and cannot be removed without adverse effects. T/F?
false. is not essential to life
always look at the left pleural space to see if ____ is present
fluid
vast majority are small rounded masses, located near the ____ and has echogenicity identical to the adjacent spleen
hilum
accessory spleens are most often near the _____ or _____ border of the spleen
hilum inferior
Spleen should have a fine _______ low-level echo pattern, as is seen within the liver parenchyma
homogenous
if accessory splenic tissue is present and a splenectomy is performed, the accessory tissues undergo _______
hypertrophy
Spleen is an ____________ organ which lies in the LUQ (left hypochondrium)
intraperitoneal
Spleen is generally smooth in contour, with a convex superior _____ surface and a concave inferomedial surface
lateral
____ axis should demonstrate the Lt hemi diaphragm, the superior and inferior margins, and the UP of the LK.
long
_____ axis of the spleen is measured from its superior to inferior
long
Length should be taken in the ____________ plane at the midaxillary line
longitudinal
Part of the reticuloendothelial system and is composed primarily of ____ tissue
lymph
spleen is bordered _________ by the diaphragm, pleura, left lung and ribs
posteriorly
The spleen is a _____ and a ______
reservoir filter
_____ _____ is a tortuous vessel that travels horizontally along the superior border of the pancreas and divides into two major branches before separating into several minor arteries within the spleen
splenic artery
AP dimension measures the _____ of an organ
thickness
Width and thickness should be measured in the _____ plane at the level of the ziphoid
transverse
( accessory spleens) these islands of tissue are usually small and measure between 1.5 -2 cm. more than one accessory spleen may be present. T/F?
true
A normal variant; aplasia is a rare condition is commonly associated with other lethal malformations and asplenic individuals are known to be at increased risk for infection with encapsulated bacteria. T/F?
true
A normal variant; partial development of spleen may also occur and is associated with situs inversus and cardiovascular anomalies. T/F?
true
Rarely the primary site of disease, although it is often affected by systemic disease processes. T/F?
true
Spleen is the largest organ of the reticuloendothelial system. T/F?
true
The spleen removes macrophages, stores platelets, and produces blood cells during fetal life (hematopoiesis). T/F?
true
although the spleen is rarely the primary site of disease-as the largest secondary lymphoid organ of the reticuloendothelial system-it is often involved in inflammatory, hematopoietic, and metabolic disorders and is associated with immune and hematologic diseases. T/F?
true
more superiorly, on transverse scanning, spleen has a typical fat "inverted comma" shape with a thin component extending anteriorly and another component extending medially, either superior to or adjacent to upper pole of the left kidney. T/F?
true
nonvisualization in its normal location may be due to one of several conditions, which is, asplenia syndrome, polysplenia syndrome, traumatic fragmentation of the spleen, or the wandering spleen. T/F?
true
on longitudinal, the superior component extends more medially than the inferior component. T/F?
true
severe abdominal pain and splenic rupture can occur with torsion and splenic volvulus. T/F?
true
the echogenicity of the parenchyma is higher in the spleen than the liver (smooth, medium gray). T/F?
true
with experience, the sonographer may be able to simply "eyeball" the spleen to determine whether it is enlarged. T/F?
true
you should include at least one coronal view of the spleen and the upper pole of the left kidney. T/F?
true
Other names for an ectopic spleen are:
wandering, aberrant spleen, floating spleen, splenic ptosis
transverse dimension measures the ______of an organ
width
