Serious Infection After Splenectomy for the Staging of Hodgkin's Disease

Serious, life-threatening infection is a well-known complication in splenectomized patients, particularly in young persons and in patients with congenital asplenia. The incidence of this complication depends on the underlying disease. Splenectomy as part of the laparotomy staging of patients with Hodgkin's disease is now being done in our hospital and in other centers. Two patients with Hodgkin's disease who developed serious infections in the first year after splenectomy for staging of their disease are presented. Both had meningitis, caused by Diplococcus pneumoniae in one and by Hemophilus influenzae in the other. The latter patient subsequently developed septicemia with peritonitis due to Diplococcus pneumoniae.