Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ectopic splenic tissue found in 46 dogs from 2000 to 2024
By Stilz, C Robert et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2026·Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and Department of Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Ectopic splenic tissue in 46 dogs, 2000-2024.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 5-year-old mixed-breed dog was found to have unusual dark-red nodules outside the spleen during surgery. These nodules were identified as ectopic splenic tissue, which can occur either as an accessory spleen (a normal spleen tissue in the wrong place) or as splenosis (tissue that forms after a spleen injury). In this case, most of the affected dogs had their ectopic tissue in the omentum or mesentery, and some had other splenic issues, including a serious cancer called hemangiosarcoma. The findings highlight the importance of proper diagnosis since the presence of these nodules can be confused with more serious conditions.
Abstract
Ectopic splenic tissue (accessory spleen or splenosis) occurs as dark-red-to-brown or purple nodules outside the spleen. Accessory spleens are congenital lesions histologically identical to a normal spleen. Splenosis results from implantation of splenic tissue following splenic rupture and lacks features of normal spleen. However, these distinctions have been largely applied to human cases, and the terms are often used interchangeably in domestic animals. Here we describe ectopic splenic tissue in 46 canine surgical biopsy specimens examined at the Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, 2000-2024. The omentum (39 cases) and mesentery (5) were the most commonly affected sites. Original diagnoses were accessory spleen (28 cases), splenosis (14), accessory spleen or splenosis (2), and ectopic splenic tissue and normal splenic tissue (1 each). Updated diagnoses, modified after histologic assessment for a fibrous capsule, smooth muscle trabeculae, and white and red pulp, were accessory spleen (37 cases) and splenosis (9). Concurrent splenic lesions were reported in 12 cases in which accessory spleens were diagnosed and only 2 splenosis cases, confirming that the histologic diagnosis of accessory spleen and splenosis is not always correlated with the clinical history and gross findings (no splenic lesions vs. splenic lesions with rupture). For that reason,may be a more inclusive and better term for these lesions. Hemangiosarcoma was diagnosed in the spleen in 4 of the 12 cases with splenic masses, which underscores the importance of the differentiation between ectopic splenic tissue and hemangiosarcoma.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41039975/