[Hypersplenism in liver cirrhosis].

Hypersplenism is defined as the association of anemia, leukopenia, or thrombocytopenia with bone marrow hyperplasia and splenomegaly. Hypersplenism is common in liver cirrhosis and frequent in patients with portal hypertension. The effects of portacaval shunt are variable; hypersplenism hardly ever improves but rarely develops after surgery. Since the spleen is a major component of the mononuclear phagocyte system, splenectomy reduces antibody synthesis. Although splenectomy abolishes hypersplenism, it may lead to sepsis. Recently, partial splenic embolization, using gelform injected directly into the splenic artery, has been performed in patients with cirrhosis. Partial splenic embolization induces an increase in the number of circulating blood cells. In addition, the levels of albumin, hepaplastintest, cholesterol and cholinesterase are increased significantly after treatment. Partial splenic embolization rarely causes problems and may actually be beneficial.