The surgical management of Gaucher's disease.

The records of eleven patients who underwent splenectomy for Gaucher's disease at The Mount Sinai Hospital from 1967 to 1981 have been reviewed. The major indications for operation were hypersplenism, pain, and mechanical problems associated with a massively enlarged spleen. There were no operative mortalities and the hematologic picture returned to normal in all cases. Because of the danger of overwhelming sepsis following splenectomy, partial splenectomy should be considered as a therapeutic modality in these patients.