Laparoscopic splenectomy for splenic hamartoma in elderly patien Case report and review of the literature.

AIM: We proved the feasibility and the safety of the laparoscopic splenectomy for splenic hamartoma in elderly patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We present the first case of laparoscopic splenectomy for splenic hamartoma in elderly patients and we reviewed the English literature regarding the laparoscopic approach. RESULTS: A 74-year-old man with a 6-month history of left upper quadrant abdominal and back pain was referred to our hospital for the evaluation of a splenic mass detected by ultrasonography. Computerized tomography scan (CT) revealed the presence of a solid tumor in the upper pole of the spleen (size 5.3 x 4.5 cm). The diagnosis of a malignant tumor was not excluded completely and because of increasing severe left upper quadrant pain, after three days the patient underwent laparoscopic splenectomy and the final pathological diagnosis was splenic hamartoma. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged by the sixth postoperative day. CONCLUSIONS: Splenectomy is still necessary for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes and mini-invasive surgical technique today represents the standard procedure for the management of any space-occupying lesions of the spleen also in elderly patients. KEY WORDS: Elderly patients, Hamartoma, Laparoscopic splenectomy, Management.