An Unexpected Bond: Unraveling a Case of Spleno-Gonadal Fusion Anomaly Mistaken for Lymph Node and Testicular Tumor

Abstract

Spleno-gonadal fusion (SGF) is an infrequent developmental disorder that can mimic a gonadal tumor due to mass formation in a peri-gonadal location. Continuous and discontinuous forms were documented in the literature. An accurate pre-operative diagnosis is often difficult due to the rarity of this entity. We describe a case of ten 10-year-old child presenting with an empty left scrotum. Diagnostic laparoscopy confirmed left cryptorchidism but showed 2 discrete masses in the left inguinal region in the vicinity of the testicle and spermatic cord, which falsely alarmed the surgeon for a para-testicular tumor. However, histopathological examination confirms the mass to be splenic tissue. Hence, better knowledge of this disease can prevent a misdiagnosis of this anomaly and obviate the unnecessary surgical intervention.