CONSERVATIVE ULTRASOUND-GUIDED LAPAROSCOPIC TREATMENT OF POSTTRAUMATIC SPLENIC CYSTS - REPORT OF 2 CASES

Recently, laparoscopic splenectomy has been reported by various author s. Further advancement of this minimally invasive surgery is the conse rvative treatment of nonneoplastic lesions of the spleen. The authors report two clinical cases in which the laparoscopic approach has been employed to treat a large posttraumatic cyst of the spleen. Using a sp ecifically developed ultrasound probe for laparoscopic surgery, the au thors identified the thinnest area of the wall in two large intraparen chymal posttraumatic splenic cysts (diameters: 11 and 8 cm). After an explorative puncture, the orifice was enlarged using electrocautery sc issors. The opening of the cyst was further enlarged and a 35-mm ELC s tapler with vascular cartridges was applied in order to resect as poss ible the cyst wall and to obtain an adequate hemostasis of the splenic parenchima. Both postoperative courses were uneventful, and the patie nts were discharged on day 5 after a negative ultrasound examination o f the abdomen. This is the first report of successful conservative tre atment of a large posttraumatic cyst by laparoscopic surgery.