Splenic Functions: The Short Version

So I percussed an enormous spleen this week during my clinical rotation. It was the first time that I had felt a spleen that clearly crossed the midline... what a perfect occasion to discuss some pathophysiology of the SPLEEN!

Location: LUQ

Histology: It is divided into red pulp and white pulp.
          Red pulp = transient circulating RBC and mononuclear phagocytic cells - primary function = removal of foreign stuff from the blood (including old and damaged RBC)
          White pulp = lymphoid tissue (similar to the stuff in lymph nodes) - primary function = initiating  and propagating the immune response to foreign antigens

Pathology: Primary pathology = rare (most are secondary to systemic problems)

Big Spleens (Splenomegaly)
Possible causes: infections (mono), congestion (cirrhosis), blood malignancies, systemic inflammation dz (RA), metabolic storage dz


Source: HARDCORE: Pathology, Carter Wahl