Asplenia means the absence of the spleen. It can be congenital, meaning the person was born without a spleen, or acquired, most commonly from surgical removal after trauma or for treatment of certain blood disorders. On ultrasound, the sonographer simply cannot identify splenic tissue in the left upper quadrant where the spleen is normally located. Asplenia is clinically significant because the spleen plays an important role in fighting certain bacterial infections, so patients without a spleen are at increased risk for serious infections and typically require vaccinations and sometimes prophylactic antibiotics. Recognizing the absence of the spleen during an abdominal ultrasound is important to document and communicate.
Sonography Term