Splenectomy in myeloid metaplasia.

Between 1960 and 1977, 50 patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia were splenectomized. Twenty-five of 26 patients with painful splenomegaly, 4 of 9 patients with refractory hemolytic anemia, 4 of 10 patients with refractory thrombocytopenia, and 4 of 4 patients with portal hypertension showed significant benefit from the procedure. There were five immediate postoperative deaths. Four of these deaths occurred early in our series of splectomies for myeloid metaplasia before 1970. Only one death has occurred in the last 21 patients operated on. Survival following splenectomy averaged 25.5 mo.