Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jun 7, 2015; 21(21): 6660-6664
Published online Jun 7, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i21.6660
Laparoscopic splenectomy for splenic littoral cell angioma
Yun-Qiang Cai, Xing Wang, Xun Ran, Xu-Bao Liu, Bing Peng
Yun-Qiang Cai, Xing Wang, Xun Ran, Xu-Bao Liu, Bing Peng, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China
Author contributions: Cai YQ and Peng B designed the research; Cai YQ, Wang X and Liu XB performed the research and analyzed the data; Cai YQ and Wang X wrote the paper; Liu XB and Peng B proofread and revised the manuscript; all authors have read and approved the version to be published.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Bing Peng, MD, Professor, Department of Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, No. 37 Guo Xue Alley, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan Province, China. marsfriend@163.com
Telephone: +86-28-85422477 Fax: +86-28-85422474
Received: May 26, 2014
Peer-review started: May 26, 2014
First decision: June 27, 2014
Revised: July 17, 2014
Accepted: September 5, 2014
Article in press: September 5, 2014
Published online: June 7, 2015
Abstract

AIM: To establish the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) for littoral cell angioma (LCA).

METHODS: From September 2003 to November 2013, 27 patients were diagnosed with LCA in our institution. These patients were divided into two groups based on operative procedure: LS (13 cases, Group 1) and open splenectomy (14 cases, Group 2). Data were collected retrospectively by chart review. Comparisons were performed between the two groups in terms of demographic characteristics (sex and age); operative outcomes (operative time, estimated blood loss, transfusion, and conversion); postoperative details (length of postoperative stay and complications); and follow-up outcome.

RESULTS: LS was successfully carried out in all patients except one in Group 1, who required conversion to hand-assisted LS because of perisplenic adhesions. The average operative time for patients in Group 1 was significantly shorter than that in Group 2 (127 ± 34 min vs 177 ± 25 min, P = 0.001). The average estimated blood loss in Group 1 was significantly lower than in Group 2 (62 ± 48 mL vs 138 ± 64 mL, P < 0.01). No patient in Group 1 required a blood transfusion, whereas one in Group 2 required a transfusion. Two patients in Group 1 and four in Group 2 suffered from postoperative complications. All the complications were cured by conservative therapy. There were no deaths in our series. All patients were followed up and no recurrence or abdominal metastasis were found.

CONCLUSION: LS for patients with LCA is safe and feasible, with preferable operative outcomes and long-term tumor-free survival.

Keywords: Laparoscopy, Minimal invasiveness, Splenic tumor, Splenectomy, Littoral cell angioma

Core tip: Littoral cell angioma (LCA) is a rare splenic tumor. Consequently, there is a paucity of data in the literature on laparoscopic splenectomy (LS) for LCA. We successfully performed LS in 13 patients with LCA. Compared with patients who underwent open splenectomy, patients who underwent LS required shorter operative time and suffered lower blood loss. No patient had tumor recurrence. LS is safe and feasible in patients with LCA.