Comparative Study of the Arterial and Venous Segmental Circulation in the Human Spleen

Abstract

The authors have studied the vascular organization of the human spleen with particular regard to the relationship between the arterial and venous segmental circulation. Sixty fresh adult human spleen obtained at post-mortem were stud ied. After anatomical dissection of the splenic vessels at the hilus, in a group of thirty spleens (group I) the injection of radioopaque material (Lipiodol Extraf luid) was performed and angiograms were taken. In a second group of thirty spleens (group 2) epoxy resins of different colours (Biodur E 20) were injected in the splenic vessels and corrosion-casts obtained. By means of these methods the presence of a segmental vascular organization in the human spleen was evi denced ; every main splenic vascular segment, both arterial and venous, was independent and no visible anastomoses took place. In addition, there were complete correspondence of the arterial and venous segments, which were su perimposable since each arterial segment had the same limits as the correspon dent venous one. A parallel distribution of the arterial and venous segmental branches provided a further demonstration that each main splenic vascular seg ment may be considered as a real independent morphological unit. These ana tomical findings support the fact that partial splenectomies can be considered in a variety of pathological conditions, as an alternative to total splenectomy, par ticularly in young patients.