Splenectomy in a patient with treatment-resistant visceral leishmaniasis: a case report

• Main Authors: Robson Azevedo Dutra, Laura Ferreira Dutra, Milene de Oliveira Reis, Raul Coelho Lambert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2012-02-01
• Series: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Subjects: Esplenectomia; Leishmaniose; Hiperesplenismo
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822012000100027&lng=en&tlng=en

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as Kala-azar, is a systemic infection caused by a protozoan (Leishmania) and, in its classic form, is a serious illness associated with malnutrition, anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, infectious processes and coagulopathies. The effect of splenectomy in patients with visceral leishmaniasis is not well defined; however, it is known that the spleen is the largest reservoir of infected cells belonging to the reticulo endothelial system. Therefore, the surgical procedure is an option for the debulking of parasites, providing a cure for refractory VL and minimizing the complications of hypersplenism.