R. Siva Chidambaram, Soorya Sridhar
The Spleen is a large lymphoid organ situated in the left hypochondrial region having an important role in immunological and hematological functions of the human body. The aim of this study was to find the morphological variations of the spleen with respect to it’s a) Shape, b) Number of notches on its borders and c) Presence of anomalous fissure on its surface. The Study was done on 60 formalin fixed cadaveric spleen from the Department of Anatomy, Narayana Medical College, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. Out of 60 spleens we examined, the various shapes of the spleen were noted such as wedge shape (73.33%), triangular (13.33%), tetrahedral (6.67%) and oval shape(6.67%).The number of spleen showing notches on its superior border was 38(63.33%) and in inferior border it was 6(10%). Absence of splenic notch was observed in 10(16.67%) spleens and the remaining 6 spleens (10%) shows notches on its both the borders. The anomalous splenic fissure was found in 4(6.67%) spleens on its diaphragmatic surface. The knowledge of variations in the morphology of spleen are essential for physician, surgeon, radiologist and forensic surgeon to differentiate it from the splenic pathology and splenic injury. In addition to this, it is also important for anatomist during routine classroom dissection and discussion
