Surgery Overview

A splenectomy (say "splih-NEK-tuh-mee") is surgery to take out the spleen. The spleen is an organ in the upper left side of the belly. It filters old and damaged blood cells from the blood. You may have your spleen taken out because a health condition caused it to get too big. Or maybe it doesn't work well because of an infection. The doctor also may remove the spleen if it was damaged in an accident or injury.

You may have laparoscopic surgery. To do this, the doctor puts a lighted tube, or scope, and other tools through several small cuts. Or your surgery may be done through one large cut (incision). This is called open surgery.

Laparoscopic surgery leaves small scars. Open surgery will leave a scar on your belly. Scars will fade over time.

The spleen helps protect you from illness. After your spleen is gone, you may be more likely to get certain infections. So before or soon after your surgery, you will need a pneumococcal shot. You may also need other vaccinations.

You may need to take antibiotics for a while after surgery. You may also need to take them daily or each time you have a fever. A fever could be a sign of a serious infection. Ask the doctor what to do if you have a fever.