The ruptured spleen. A histological, morphometrical and immunohistochemical study.

A traumatically ruptured spleen is regarded as a proper control in many histological and immunological studies on the human spleen. This paper compares spleens that ruptured due to trauma and spleens which were removed during surgery in patients without splenic pathology. Based on a histological, morphometrical, and immunohistochemical description of the control spleens it is shown that the traumatically ruptured spleens contain alterations in the lymphoid tissue. The amount of white pulp is increased due to a larger amount of CD4-positive lymphocytes. Furthermore there are alterations in lymphocyte populations in the different splenic compartments. It is concluded that spleens that rupture may be predisposed due to immunological stimulation.