Laparoscopic Splenectomy

The spleen is located under your rib cage on the left side of your abdomen. It helps your body fight infections and filters out old or damaged blood cells. When your spleen is damaged or diseased, a splenectomy may need to be performed.

Dignity Health's laparoscopic specialists offer our patients the option of minimally invasive surgery to remove the spleen. This procedure, called laparoscopic splenectomy, is performed when certain conditions affecting the spleen are present, including:

  • Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly)
  • Certain blood disorders
  • Cancer
  • Infection
  • Noncancerous cysts or tumors

A ruptured spleen requires immediate open surgery. However, if your doctor has given you a diagnosis other than a ruptured spleen, you may have the option of having a minimally invasive surgical procedure.

How Does Laparoscopic Splenectomy Differ from Traditional Surgery?

In conventional open surgery, a large incision is made so the surgeon can remove the spleen.

In contrast, Dignity Health's surgical team performs minimally invasive splenectomy with only a few small incisions:

  • Small incisions are made in the abdomen.
  • The surgeon inserts a small camera (laparoscope) through one incision, and the inside of the abdominal cavity then can be seen on a large monitor in the operating room.
  • Using the monitor as a guide, the surgeon removes the spleen then closes the incisions.

Laparoscopic splenectomy is performed while you are under general anesthesia and you will need to stay in the hospital for two to six days.

Why Choose Dignity Health for Laparoscopic Splenectomy?

Dignity Health’s board-certified surgeons have undergone extensive fellowship training in advanced laparoscopic techniques, including robotic surgery. This combination of skill and technology offers patients a host of potential benefits, including:

  • Less risk of developing a hernia
  • Shorter hospital stay
  • Faster recovery
  • Less blood loss, pain and scarring
  • Less risk of infection and post-operative complications

See a Laparoscopic Surgery Specialist

You may be a candidate for a minimally invasive laparoscopic splenectomy. For a referral to a Dignity Health specialist, please call (888) 253-1704.