We studied the charts of 42 consecutive patients in whom blunt trauma had ruptured the spleen. The diagnosis was established by operation.
Purpose
We hoped to discover a consistent clinical pattern for patients suffering from acute traumatic rupture of the nondiseased spleen, secondary to blunt trauma.
Material
The 42 charts were analyzed to correlate consistent clinical findings in the "pure splenic-rupture syndrome." Cases of "delayed rupture" and those having severe trauma to organs other than the spleen were not included.
History
There is some type of rather severe trauma to the left upper abdomen and/or left lower chest in cases of rupture of the nondiseased spleen. The leading cause is auto accidents,1-4 and the incidence is increasing.Table 1 lists the types of trauma in the present series. The age range is from 2 to 67 years, averaging 21 years. Thirty-one of the 42 patients (74%) are 26 years