Patient's question:
Here is the English translation of the provided content, with line breaks ("") preserved as instructed:
Sky
Detailed medical condition and consultation purpose: The ultrasound of the infant revealed a half-moon-shaped, uniform low echo in the spleen, with intact capsule, intercostal thickness of 1.7 cm, and subcostal thickness of 0.8 cm. Ultrasound impression: Splenomegaly. Please ask: How many causes can lead to this condition? How should it be treated?
Duration of this illness and the time it has persisted: From birth to the present, 52 days
Doctor's answer:
Enlarged spleen is an important pathological sign. Under normal circumstances, the spleen is generally not palpable. Since the causes of splenomegaly are complex, except for a few cases that are physiological, the underlying cause should be identified under medical guidance, and regular follow-up of splenomegaly is necessary. Because splenomegaly can have harmful effects on the body, surgery to remove the spleen was primarily used in the past. While spleen removal has benefits, such as correcting the harm caused by splenomegaly, this method also has shortcomings. Complete splenectomy alters the patient's immune function, leading to the loss of spleen filtration function, reduced IgM levels, decreased levels of regulatory and opsonizing factors, disruption of the T lymphocyte system, and a significant decline in the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes and lymphocyte transformation rates, which markedly increases the risk of severe infections. The surgery is highly invasive and expensive. Additionally, patients with poor liver function, ascites, hypoalbuminemia, hematemesis, or other poor conditions are often not candidates for surgery.