Splenectomy is indicated in dogs for splenic masses, torsion, trauma, immune-mediated hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, generalized or localized splenomegaly, and splenic infarction. Journal of the…+1 Splenic masses are the most common surgical disease of the spleen, and histopathologic diagnosis after splenectomy is the primary determinant of long-term prognosis. Journal of the…

The malignant-to-benign ratio of splenic masses depends heavily on whether hemoperitoneum is present. In dogs presenting with nontraumatic hemoperitoneum, 73% of masses are malignant and 87% of those malignancies are hemangiosarcoma (HSA). Journal of the… In dogs without hemoperitoneum, 70% of splenic masses are benign. Journal of the… Across all dogs undergoing splenectomy for a splenic mass regardless of hemoperitoneum status, 52.9% have malignant disease and 46.8% have benign disease. Journal of the… Small-breed dogs are 2.3 times more likely than large-breed dogs to have benign disease, and when small-breed dogs do have malignant disease, they are one-third as likely as large-breed dogs to have HSA. Veterinary Reco…

HSA carries the worst prognosis of all splenic malignancies. Median survival time after splenectomy alone ranges from 19 to 132 days, extending to 144 to 277 days with adjuvant chemotherapy. Journal of the… The 1-year survival rate is 6% to 12% with splenectomy alone and 8% to 23% with splenectomy followed by chemotherapy. Journal of the… HSA has a metastatic rate of approximately 50% to 80%, with concurrent hepatic metastasis in 50% to 67% of cases. Journal of the…

Splenic spindle cell sarcomas (fibrosarcoma, myxosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, liposarcoma, and undifferentiated stromal sarcoma) carry a median survival time of 1 to 9 months, with 59.4% of dogs succumbing to metastatic disease within 12 months of diagnosis. Journal of the… Pleomorphic stromal cell sarcomas have reported survival times following splenectomy ranging from 16 to 650 days. Journal of the…

Localized splenic histiocytic sarcoma (HS) has a substantially better prognosis than disseminated HS. Dogs with localized splenic HS treated with splenectomy have a median survival time of 427 days and a median progression-free interval of 158 days. Journal of Vete… In contrast, disseminated HS carries a median survival time of 78 days. Journal of Vete… Hemophagocytic HS carries the poorest prognosis of all HS subtypes, with a median survival of 4 weeks. Journal of Vete…

Splenic lymphoma has a favorable prognosis relative to other malignancies, with an overall 1-year survival rate of 59.8% regardless of disease extent, cell origin, or subtype. Journal of the… Lymphoma confined to the spleen may be controlled long-term by splenectomy alone. Journal of the…

Benign splenic disease — including hematoma, nodular hyperplasia, and extramedullary hematopoiesis — carries an excellent prognosis after splenectomy. Dogs with benign histopathology and death unrelated to malignancy have a median survival time of 628 days. Journal of the… Dogs with splenic hematoma specifically have an overall median survival time of 647 days after splenectomy. Canadian Veteri… Long-term complications of splenectomy in dogs with benign splenic disease are not associated with mortality. Journal of the…

A critical caveat for dogs with benign histopathology and nontraumatic hemoperitoneum is the risk of premature death. Nine dogs with benign splenic histopathology experienced unexpected death due to conditions related to malignancy, with a median survival time of 49 days — not significantly different from the 43-day median survival of dogs with confirmed malignancy and malignancy-related death. Journal of the… This pattern is consistent with occult concurrent malignancy, including cardiac HSA. Journal of the…

Perioperative ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) occur in 44.8% of dogs undergoing splenectomy for splenic masses — 40.9% postoperatively, 16.6% intraoperatively, and 8.4% preoperatively — and are associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Journal of the… Despite this, overall in-hospital mortality is 6.5%, with 10.1% mortality in dogs with VAs versus 3.5% in dogs without VAs. Journal of the… Hemoperitoneum, increasing heart rate, and increasing body weight are independent risk factors for perioperative VAs. Journal of the…

Would you like to review the preoperative scoring tools available to help discriminate benign from malignant splenic masses before surgery?