Staphylococcal splenic abscess in a septicemic pediatric patient

Splenic abscess is a rare entity and occurs after trauma or as a result of systemic bacteremia. Splenic abscess is an uncommon surgical problem in pediatric age group and difficulty in diagnosis in this group is because of rarity, insidious onset, and nonspecific clinical picture. Splenic abscess, found mostly in autopsies and progressing rather fatally, can be diagnosed and treated earlier with the help of recently developed radiological techniques. Patients, as seen in our case, are mostly admitted to the hospital with nonspecific complaints of abdominal pain and vomiting. It has a high rate of mortality when it is diagnosed late. Early diagnosis, prompt treatment, and splenic preservation as a goal in children should be considered unless there are multiple abscesses and nonresponsiveness to conservative regimen.