Outcome following splenectomy in cats

No studies have yet examined whether there are prognostic factors for survival for cats undergoing splenectomies. The medical records of 19 cats that had complete splenectomy were reviewed for information on preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative factors. The most common presenting signs were a palpable abdominal mass in 58% and anorexia in 47% of the cats. Mast cell tumors were the most common reason for splenectomy and were found in 10/19 cats (53%); followed by hemangiosarcoma in 4/19 (21%); and lymphoma in 2/19 (11%). The Kaplan-Meier median survival time (MST) was 197 days, with a range from 2 days to 1959 days. Three cats were noted to have preoperative weight loss, and this was the only factor that had prognostic significance for survival following surgery. For cats with weight loss the MST was 3 days, for cats with no weight loss noted the MST was 293 days (P = 0.008).