Hereditary spherocytosis is the most common cause of hemolytic anemia
due to defects in the blood cell membrane. Partial splenic embolization
(PSE) might significantly improve the effects of hemolysis in HS
patients while preserving partial splenic function. However, due to the
poor controllability of the scope of interventional embolization, PSE in
pediatric HS had not been widely studied and applied.
The present study is the first to propose that optimized PSE procedure
to treat pediatric HS patients, which named super-selective partial
splenic embolization (SPSE). We investigated the feasibility and
effectiveness of SPSE. This study was conducted by retrospectively
reviewing clinical data from HS patients treated by surgical treatments
who were diagnosed at children’s hospital of Chongqing medical
university from January 2015 to December 2019. Patients were divided
into two groups according to treatment preference: SPSE (16 patients)
group and total splenectomy (41 patients) group. The data were analyzed
such as preoperative and postoperative leukocytes, hemoglobin,
platelets, bilirubin, immunological indicators, and postoperative
complications. The success rate of two groups were 100%. The
improvement of hemolysis in patients after SPSE was not different from
that after total splenectomy, and the effect can be maintained for a
long time. The average hemoglobin value increased significantly from
6.97g/dL before SPSE to 12.2g/dL after SPSE (P=0.000). SPSE was
performed without any serious complications. SPSE is a safe and
effective treatment for moderate or severe HS in children.
Efficacy and safety of partial splenic embolization in patients with splenomegaly associated cytopenias
