Splenic haemangioma and Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome as differential diagnosis for abdominal mass in a newborn: case report

Abstract

We report a rare case of splenic haemangioma in the form of an abdominal mass in a 20-dayold female newborn with coagulopathy and thrombocytopenia. She was operated on, and the mass was found to be a tumor of the inferior pole of the spleen. She remains well after six months of follow-up. The diagnostic and treatment options are reviewed and discussed. The authors reviewed the literature about splenic haemangioma in newborns, noticing that it is the third reported case associating splenic haemangioma and Kasabach-Merritt Syndrome. Splenic haemangioma is a rare differential diagnosis to abdominal masses in newborns. Haemangioma is the most frequent benign neoplasm of the spleen. Anemia, thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy are often found in patients with large cavernous haemangioma associated with Kasabach-Merritt syndrome (KMS). The development of splenic haemangiomas in that syndrome is extremely rare in newborns.