Splenic abscess--the importance of early diagnosis.

Intrasplenic abscess is an uncommon but potentially lethal condition. Successful management of patients with this complication is facilitated by early diagnosis. The salient clinical features, the diagnostic approaches, and the results of treatment in a group of 19 patients are presented. Splenic abscess was diagnosed ante mortem in two-thirds of the patients but preoperatively in only one-third. When the diagnosis of splenic abscess was made, treatment with splenectomy and antibiotics was associated with a 17% mortality. A high degree of clinical alertness, an awareness of the predisposing clinical conditions, and an aggressive diagnostic approach are emphasized as being essential for an early diagnosis and effective treatment of splenic abscess.