Surgical repair of a ruptured spleen in children: report of eight cases.

Ten consecutive children with clinical evidence of splenic rupture underwent surgical exploration. In eight patients, all or part of the spleen could be preserved. The two patients requiring splenectomy had associated injury to the tail of the pancreas. Surgical techniques employed to preserve the injured spleen were those in common use to repair equivalent hepatic or renal injuries. There was no morbidity or mortality associated with the procedure. Splenic salvage protects the child from increased susceptibility to sepsis associated with splenectomy.