Marked congenital fissure masquerading as splenic laceration: report of a case

A 26-year-old white woman fell from a ladder striking her back. Clinical evaluation indicated a left renal contusion with microscopic hematuria, and a liver-spleen scan suggested a splenic laceration. The patient was initially stable but evidence of ongoing blood loss forced exploratory laparotomy on the third hospital day. A large, retroperitoneal perirenal hematoma was found but the spleen was intact, with multiple marked congenital fissures. The problem of congenital fissures as a cause of abnormal spleen scan is discussed