Ruptured splenic abscess as an extremely rare cause of pneumoperitoneum: A comprehensive review with a case report

Abstract

Splenic abscess leading to rupture and pneumoperitoneum is a very rare condition that is limited to a few case reports. In this study, we first introduced a case of an adolescent girl with a medical history of diabetes mellitus who presented with left upper quadrant abdominal pain and fever. Ultrasound revealed an abscess in the spleen and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen revealed evidence of pneumoperitoneum secondary to the rupture of this abscess. The patient underwent splenectomy without postoperative complications.

Secondly, we reviewed and discussed the current literature on this topic which predominantly denotes that the pneumoperitoneum following splenic abscess rupture mostly occurs in the immunocompromised status, without a specific predominant infectious agent but the culprit is a gas-forming organism, acute abdomen ensues if the diagnosis is delayed, diagnosis is via abdominal CT when there is hemodynamic stability otherwise exploratory laparotomy uncovers the diagnosis, and splenectomy with broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy is the mainstay of treatment.