More rarely, carcinoma at the splenic angle occurs as a malignant degeneration of polyps in this area.īecause of the nature of the lymph drainage in this locality to the mesenteric lymph nodes lying so close to the flexure and through the suspensory ligament of the splenic angle, the process, unless rapidly malignant, may be checked early and is relatively amenable to surgical procedures. However, it has been reported as of a rapidly fungating type, following mucous colitis ulcers. As a rule it is of a scirrhous, adenocarcinomatous, slowly growing, slowly metastasizing, ring-constricting type.

Carcinoma of the splenic angle is consistently one of the rarest of colon carcinomata, that of the descending colon alone being more rare. The etiology is usually considered as traumatic. American literature for the most part deals only with statistics on this subject. The French surgeons, so skilled in colectomies, naturally have added much to the surgical technic. Hartwell presents an exhaustive study of this subject, based on six cases.

The literature reviewed for the past twenty years includes statistics concerning splenic flexure carcinoma among other carcinomatous conditions of the large bowel, but very few articles deal with carcinoma of this particular locality per se. The object of this paper is to present the roentgenological diagnosis of this relatively rare condition and to discuss the salient points in etiology and symptomatology, with an outline of the surgical treatment based on a review of the different methods described in the literature.

Muscle spasms near the splenic flexture