Acute gastric hemorrhage secondary to wandering spleen.

A patient presenting with acute life-threatening upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage caused by a wandering spleen is reported. Emergency laparotomy revealed profuse gastric bleeding, large engorged varicose veins in the gastric wall, and a normal liver parenchyma. Gastroscopy after arrest of the hemorrhage showed varicose veins in the fundus without esophageal varices. Angiography revealed an ectopic spleen, occlusion of the splenic vein, and large venous collaterals in the gastric fundus. Elective splenectomy was performed. Wandering spleen as a cause of left-sided portal hypertension, also referred to as segmental splenic hypertension, is discussed.