Splenic Rhythms and Postprandial Dynamics in Physiology, Portal Hypertension, and Functional Hyposplenism: A Review

Abstract

Background: Before the discovery of immunological and haematological functions of the spleen, it had for centuries been considered to be a digestive organ of variable size with a role in the portal vein system and nutritional metabolism. In the 19th and 20th centuries, volume changes in the spleen related to nutrition were studied using plethysmographic measurements. Rhythmical and regulatory functions of the spleen were demonstrated in the haemodynamics of the splanchnic region and were described as a “hepatolienal pendulum,” a “Windkessel function,” or a “pressure compensation.” These studies were mainly published in German-speaking countries and have not, as far as is known, been discussed in the English-speaking world so far. Summary: This review explores the historical development of the rhythmical regulatory function of the spleen in the splanchnic region. Older studies and results are followed up in the modern literature, wherever possible, up to the present. The clinical relevance is illustrated with portal hypertension (with congestive or hyperdynamic splenomegaly), coeliac disease, and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (with functional hyposplenism). Key Message: The spleen’s rhythmical regulatory function in nutrition is based on an autonomous rhythm comprising cycles of contractions and dilations of the spleen of around 1 min. These cycles can be influenced by sympathetically mediated single contractions with a release of pooled blood or by portal vein congestion. After food ingestion, the spleen responds either with contraction according to a vasomotor reaction or postprandial congestion with significant increases in volume. The spleen’s rhythmical function is lost in the clinical picture of portal hypertension or in coeliac disease and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases. In the aforementioned gastrointestinal diseases, we recommend taking more account of the haemodynamics between the spleen, liver, and intestine. New innovative techniques for recording splenograms are required which, besides elastographic measurements of spleen stiffness, could offer an important tool for early detection, diagnosis, and therapeutic evaluation.