Spontaneous Rupture of the Spleen: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Non-traumatic ruptures of the spleen are rare, difficult to diagnose and potentially fatal. Infectious etiologies (dominated by infectious mononucleosis and malaria) and hematological diseases (dominated by hematological malignancies) alone account for over half of all cases. Symptoms are usually acute, but progressive forms are also possible.Mortality is high (around 20%), resulting from both pre-diagnostic and post-operative deaths, probably favored by a delay in management and/or the severity of the underlying pathology. We report the case of a 61-year-old chronic smoker who presented with a non-traumatic rupture of the spleen.