Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Spleen is a firm organ about the size of a clenched fist and is the largest
member of lymphoid organs. Splenomegaly is important clinical finding enlarged with a
number of diseases. These can be infections, hematological disorders, infiltrative states and
immunological and malignant diseases. In Ethiopia, study of spleen size of the adult
population was not reported previously. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the
standard range of spleen size among different adult age groups of Northwest, Ethiopian.
Objective: To assess sonographic measurements of normal spleen size and associated factors
in adult study subjects in the University of Gondar Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.
Method: A cross-sectional prospective study design was performed at the University of
Gondar, hospital, Radiology Department from October 2017 to February 2018. By obtaining
informed verbal consent sonographic measurements of spleen length, width and thickness
were performed on 380 subjects. In addition weight and height were measured using standard
anthropometric technique, age and sex was recorded. By Pearson’s product moment
correlation coefficients, the relation of spleen dimensions and age, weight, height and BMI
was evaluated.
Results: A total of 380 adults comprising 180 (47%) males and 200 (53%) females were
recruited. Of the subjects, 186 (49%) and 194 (51%) were urban and rural residents,
respectively. The age range was between 18 and 80 years, with the mean age of 33 years
(±12.0). The mean height was 1.63 m (±7.59), the mean weight of the subjects was 57.79 kg
(±9.4) and the mean BMI of the subjects was 21.5(±2.9). There was a difference in spleen
dimensions between males and females. The mean splenic length, width and thickness were
9.95 cm (±1.24), 4.3 (±.73), and 3.8 (±.87), respectively.
Conclusion: Present study, found an inverse relation between the spleen size with the age of
both male and female adult subjects. In all dimensions, the spleen size of male subjects is
greater than that of females. The spleen size has correlation with weight, height and BMI of
subjects. The present study provided the normal reference value of adult spleen size for the
adults of Northwest Ethiopia, which will be useful for clinical assessment of spleen under
any pathological conditions.
