Splenic lesions observed in 71 splenectomized dogs: a retrospective study

Abstract

The spleen of dogs is frequently affected by disorders that vary from local and systemic origin. The difficulty in associating clinical and gross findings contributes for the choice of total splenectomy as the main treatment, leading to an impairment of the immune and hematopoietic functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathological findings in the spleen of splenectomized dogs during 2008 to 2014 at a Veterinary Teaching Hospital. From the 71 cases analyzed, 97% (69/71) of the dogs were submitted to total splenectomy and 3% (2/71) to partial splenectomy. In 45 (63.4%) of these cases, the histopathological diagnosis was non-neoplastic alterations; only 36.6% (26/71) had a splenic neoplasia. The main non-neoplastic lesions observed were nodular hyperplasia 24.4% (11/45), infarction 22.3% (10/45), and hematoma 20% (9/45). The most frequent tumors were hemangiosarcoma 50% (13/26), histiocytic sarcoma 23% (6/26), and lymphoma 11.5% (3/26). The clinical methods used to diagnose splenic lesions were ultrasonography 88% (63/71), radiography 2.8% (2/71) and exploratory laparotomy 4.2% (3/71). In 4.2% (3/71) the spleen changes were observed during the therapeutic ovariohysterectomy. The results of the present study showed a prevalence of benign disorders in the spleen of splenectomized dogs associated with a high incidence of total splenectomy performed, indicating a difficulty in recognizing the different lesions that can affect the spleen by the veterinarian medical.