SPLEEN

     The spleen is an organ located in the upper left quadrant of the abdomen just below the diaphragm and protected under the lower left ribs.

The spleen has a couple of important functions involving blood cells within the body.

1. It filters blood and removes old and damaged red blood cells, bacteria, and other particles as they pass through the maze of blood vessels within the spleen.
2. It produces lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that produces antibodies and assists immune system.

The filtration system is part of the red pulp while the white pulp of the spleen contains the immune functioning cells

Normally, the spleen is a small organ about the size of a small fist or orange. Splenomegaly describes the situation where the spleen enlarges in size (spleen+megaly=enlargement).

SPLEEN AND SYSTEM

 ULTRASOUND IMAGES

       

 SPLEEN DISORDERS

 Disorders include splenomegaly, where the spleen is enlarged for various reasons, such as cancer, specifically blood-based leukemias, and asplenia, where the spleen is not present or functions abnormally

    ENLARGED SPLEEN

SPLEEN ULTRASOUND TRAINING VIDEO