SPLENIC-GONADAL FUSION OF THE CONTINUOUS TYPE IN AN ADULT FEMALE

The first case of a continuous type splenic-gonadal fusion in an adult female is described, This extremely rare anomaly occurs more often in the male where the abnormality may be associated with skeletal abnorm alities or cryptorchidism, The few cases of splenic-gonadal fusion in the female previously described were found mainly in infants. The pres ent case of splenic-gonadal fusion occurred as a duct, approximately 1 0 cm long, extending from the inferior pole of the spleen to a junctio n in the left ovarian suspensory ligament, The superior two-thirds of this tubular structure consisted of splenic tissue, while the caudal o ne-third of the duct was composed of fat and fibrous tissue. In additi on, two blood vessels, an artery and a vein, were present throughout t he entire length of duct, and were located extracapsullary to the sple en in the cranial portion of this anomaly, The patient had no associat ed malformations in contrast to the majority of patients with continuo us-type splenic-gonadal fusions.