3912                TRAUMATIC RUPTURE OF THE SPLEEN

The patient, an 18 year old youth, was admitted after a motor cycle accident.  He complained of severe pain in the upper left side of his abdomen, which made him roll on to his right side.  Examination revealed rigidity and tenderness on the left side and signs of free fluid in the peritoneal cavity.  At operation the abdomen contained a large amount of blood and ruptured spleen was removed.  The patient was transfused and made a rapid recovery.

The specimen is a spleen with a ragged clot adherent to an irregular roughly triangular rupture on the concave surface.