Splenic injury following colonoscopy

CCW Tse, KM Chung, JST Hwang
Department of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 30 Gascoigne Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Splenic injury following colonoscopy is rare but can be fatal and easily overlooked. A case of colonoscopic splenic injury is presented to highlight its potentially fatal complication. The risk factors, underlying mechanism, possible measures of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment are also discussed.

Hong Kong Med J 1999;5:202-3

Key words: Colonoscopy; Colonscopy/adverse effects; Postoperative complications; Spleen/injuries; Splenic rupture