Splenogonadal fusion - A review of rare anomaly

Abstract

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare congenital malformation that involves an abnormal connection between the spleen and the gonad or mesonephric derivatives. It manifests itself as a mass consisting of splenic and testicular or ovarian tissue. Splenogonadal fusion has been classified into two types; continuous, where there is a direct connection between spleen and gonad; and discontinuous, where ectopic splenic tissue is attached to the gonad, but there is no connection to the spleen. Many cases had an associated other anomalies either genital or systemic. Knowledge about the existence of such an uncommon entity is essential even to be suspected preoperatively as the appearance at exploration can be misleading as a malignant mass and often results in unnecessary gonadal removal.

Splenogonadal fusion: a radiologic-pathologic correlation and review of the literature

“…On ultrasound, SGF may appear as a hypoechoic extratesticular mass(es) with no specific sonographic features to distinguish it from a neoplasm [22] . Reported Doppler characteristics are those of central vascularity with a branching pattern which is said to differ from the “criss-cross” pattern typically detected in a neoplastic mass [23] .…”