Modern management of splenic trauma

#### Summary points Trauma is a major cause of morbidity and mortality; in the developed world, road traffic accidents are one of the leading causes. Up to 45% of patients with blunt abdominal trauma will have a splenic injury,1 which may require urgent operative management, angioembolisation, or non-operative management in the form of active observation. The management of splenic injuries has evolved over the past three decades with the realisation of the importance of the spleen in immunological defence against encapsulated organisms and a better understanding of the role of non-operative management of splenic injuries. Such management has been aided by better diagnostic and monitoring facilities and by advances in interventional radiology. This article aims to review the best available evidence for the management of patients with blunt splenic trauma. #### Sources and selection criteria We did a literature review by searching the Medline database to locate English language articles, using the terms “blunt splenic injury,” “spleen,” “trauma,” “investigation,” “computed tomography,” “splenic angioembolisation,” and “non-operative management” and then by carrying out a hand search of reference lists of …