Abstract

Spleen is the largest secondary lymphoid organ which plays an important role in immunomodulation of fetus. Very few studies are available governing the embryological development of human fetal spleen. Objectives: To determine the location, shape of spleen and its hilum and its relation with the neighbouring structures. Methods: The study was conducted on 100 human fetal spleens, aged between 11 - 30 weeksof gestation. The location of spleen and its relation with the neighbouring structures, the shape of spleen and its hilum were studied. Results: The spleen was observed in the left hypochondriac region of abdomen. Tetrahedral shaped spleen was seen in the majority of the fetuses (62%) whereas the wedged shape spleen was found only in 7 fetuses (7%). Two other shapes were also noticed i.e segment of an orange in 16% of cases and wedge shaped in 15% of cases. Out of 100 fetal spleens, longitudinal hilum was most commonly found in 69 cases and V shaped hilum was seen in only 4 cases. In 39 out of 100 cases, liver was found in no relation with the developing spleen. Renal impression was present in 45 cases. Conclusion: The morphological parameters of the spleen at different gestational ages can be used in determining various pathologies of the spleen and may also contribute to future studies

Description

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