Morphological Analysis of the Spleen and its Vessels: A Cadaveric Study

The spleen is a vital lymphatic organ found in the left hypochondriac region.A thorough understanding of the anatomy and anatomical variations of the spleen and its vessels plays a significant role in preventing iatrogenic injury during sur gical procedures, improving diagnostic accuracy, informing treatment decisions, reducing the risk of surgical complications, and in treating various diseases related to the spleen.This study aimed to document the morphology of the spleen concerning its shape, poles, notches, margins, surfaces, and origin of its vessels.Observed anatomical variations were also noted.A sample of 32 cadavers, provided by the Discipline of Clinical Anatomy at the University of KwaZulu-Natal -Westville and Nelson R Mandela Medical School campuses were used in this study.The spleen and its associated vasculature were exposed following the dissection protocol according to Grant's Dissector.In the present study, the prevalent spleen shape was oval (40.6 %), followed by wedge (31.3 %), tetrahedral (18.8 %), and triangular (9.4 %) shapes.The highest number of notches recorded was 4 and notches were absent in 34.4 % of cases.Two surfaces, poles, and two margins were observed in all 32 (100 %) spleens.In 93.8 % cases, the splenic artery emerged from the celiac trunk, and it emerged from the abdominal aorta in 6.3 % cases.The findings of the current study conclude that there is no association between the shapes of the spleen, the presence of notches, and sex.