Selective hemisplenectomy for Hodgkin's disease.

Schellong's recommendation to do a selective splenectomy in Hodgkin's disease supported by our retrospective histological findings in biopsies of lymph nodes and spleens of 25 patients. In addition, we recommend a hemisplenectomy instead of a splenectomy in cases of involvement of the lymph nodes at the pancreatic tail and at the hilus of the spleen. Hemisplenectomy, which is not a more difficult or more time-consuming operation, provides more security in judging an invasion of the spleen.