The main function of the spleen in the body. Dimensions, structure of the organ

If you ask an ordinary person what, in his opinion, the most strange and mysterious organ, the spleen - will be a thoughtful answer. Most people who are not related to medicine, can not formulate, for what it is still needed. To dispel doubts and clarify the functions of this, of course, an important organ, we decided on a brief excursion into the anatomy and physiology of the body.

Structure

The human spleen is an unpaired organ consisting of a pulp, held by a tight capsule of connective tissue. From the walls of the capsule, into the interior of the organ stretch (trabeculae), which strengthen the soft parenchyma. Histologically, two layers, or zones, of this organ are distinguished: red and white.

The bulk of the body is red pulp. It depends on it the function of the spleen in the body. And to be precise, there are many tasks before such a small piece of the human body: from the maturation of blood cells to the utilization of alien particles.

The white part of the pulp has such a color because of the high content of lymphocytes in it. Actually, this determines the main direction of this part of the parenchyma - the maintenance of immunity.

At the boundary of the red and white matter, a marginal or marginal zone is located, it is responsible for the calculation and elimination of foreign bacteria in the human body.

The size of the spleen in an adult reaches sixteen centimeters in length, six in height and two and a half in thickness. It has the shape of an oblate oval.

Location (topography)

If we take the backbone for the landmark, then the borders of the spleen will be in the range from the ninth to the eleventh rib. On top of it is the diaphragm, in front - the back wall of the stomach and pancreas, on the side - the large intestine, and behind - the left kidney and adrenal gland. Peritoneum (thin sheet of connective tissue), the spleen is covered completely, but at the site of entry and exit of the vessels from the organ (gate area), if a small area free from the peritoneum.

Blood supply and innervation

The structure of the spleen will be incomplete without mention of such important anatomical features as the vessels and nerves feeding this organ. The peripheral nervous system is represented on this site by the branches of the vagus nerve (vegetative part) - it is responsible for the performance of the organ functions, and fibers that depart from the splenic plexus (sympathetic part), which transmit pain, proprioceptive and other impulses.

The human spleen is supplied with blood to the arteries that drain from the abdominal aorta. They, in turn, are divided into splenic branches, and those - into segmental arteries. Then another branch occurs at the level of the trabeculae and the formation of small pulpary arteries.

From the spleen, the blood returns to the portal vein system. It is connected directly to the gates of the liver.

Embryogenesis

In the fourth to fifth week after conception, when the embryo is an elongated tube that consists of several tissue sheets, the rudiment of the spleen is bookmarked. But already by the eleventh week of the fetal life of the fetus the organ takes its usual form, the processes of accumulation of cells of the future lymphoid tissue take place in it.

The dimensions of the spleen, as well as its functions after the birth of the child, change with the passage of time. Only after reaching adolescence, it is formed definitively.

Functions

It can not be said that each of us thought about the question: "What is the function of the spleen in the body?" And even if such an idea occurred, it is very difficult to explain the work of this organ to a person who does not possess specific knowledge.

First of all, it is the source of white blood cells. It is here that they pass the stages of differentiation, ripen and go into the vascular bed. The second function of the spleen in the body is the immune function. It synthesizes antibodies to any foreign agents that enter the blood. The third, no less important part of the work of this body is the destruction of old blood cells and, indirectly, the formation of bile. In addition, this function of the spleen in the body is part of the metabolic processes and synthesis of iron.

It is worth noting what role this body plays in the processes of redistribution of blood. Almost a third of all thrombocytes (blood plates) are stored in the spleen until the moment when they are needed by the body. Another function of the spleen relates to the period of intrauterine development of the child. When the bone marrow is not yet formed, it is because of it that red blood cells and leukocytes move along the vessels of the embryo.

The functions of the spleen in the body remain a mystery for modern doctors. Some of them can be investigated, but much remains a mystery. Official science does not give any definitive answers.

Diseases of the spleen

Strange as it may seem, along with mysteriousness, this body was also vulnerable to various pathological processes. As a rule, these are secondary diseases caused by already existing health problems, such as violation of hematopoiesis, immune response, tumors. The primary lesion of the spleen is extremely rare.

Infarction

The main function of the spleen in the body is hematopoietic, so its parenchyma is permeated with a huge number of vessels. This circumstance, which normally positively influences the work of the body, can become the cause of the disease. If, for whatever reason, a part of the spleen is left without blood supply, its infarction develops. Ischemia of a small area can not cause uncomfortable sensations, but if a significant part of the organ has suffered, then the person feels a drawing pain. It radiates into the lower back and intensifies when inhaled.

Veil turn

Like other parenchymal organs, the spleen has a leg consisting of an artery, two veins and a nerve. It is they who support sufficient nutrition and function performance. Sometimes, with injuries or sharp weight loss, there is a twisting of the legs. This is a life-threatening condition. Because of the lack of blood supply, necrosis may occur, and the decomposing tissue secretes toxins that poison the human body. The pain in this state is strong, dagger, until the loss of consciousness.

Abscess

This is the focus of inflammation in the parenchymal organ, delimited from the rest of the tissue. Occurs as a result of primary or secondary bacterial infection. Initially, it can not manifest itself at all, but over time the amount of toxins accumulating in the body will lead to the development of fever, nausea, vomiting. And then there will be pain. It will spread from the left hypochondrium upwards to the eponymous part of the thorax and to the shoulder. Determine the location of the pathological process can be using ultrasound and X-rays.

Gap

There are two types of rupture of the spleen: capsular and subcapsular. The first can be identified immediately by the pain symptom, and by the characteristic appearance of the person, as well as the circumstances of the injury. Usually this is an accident, a fight or a fall from a height. The subcapsular rupture is not immediately noticeable and creates a sense of false well-being. If the gap is small, and the bleeding inside the organ quickly stopped, then the person will not need medical help. This segment of the spleen will be replaced by a connective tissue. But in the case of prolonged heavy bleeding, the liquid will accumulate under the capsule, stretch it and inevitably lead to rupture of the connective tissue. Infected blood will enter the abdominal cavity, causing peritonitis and intra-abdominal hemorrhage. The pain is intense, sharp, on the left side of the abdomen, giving into the scapula.

Cyst

Often people complain of a constant, pulling dull pain in the left hypochondrium. It can also spread to the stomach, causing discomfort when eating. And the addition of rashes and itching in the area of the projection of the spleen, encourage people to go to see a doctor. The cyst is a diagnosis-finding, revealed by ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity organs.

Neoplasms

Benign

Rarely rare for the spleen. These can be hemangiomas, lymphomas, endothelioma, or fibroids. They do not cause any painful sensations, they do not exert any influence on the function of the organ. But if, for some reason, a benign neoplasm has grown in size so much that it began to stretch the capsule, then dull, constant pain may appear, as with a cyst. In this case, it is better to resort to an operative solution of the problem, without waiting for the organ to break.

Malignant

They can be both primary, when the tumor is directly in the spleen, and secondary, metastatic nature. Primarily, as a rule, sarcomas develop. A richly blood-spleen spleen is an excellent substrate for them. Pain may not appear for many years, as the tumor grows, but when it reaches a critical size, a sharp deterioration in health should suggest an oncology. In addition to discomfort, there will still be weight loss, lack of appetite, nausea.

Splenomegaly

This increase in the spleen in size as a result of compensatory response to systemic inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, as well as to damage to the organs of hematopoiesis. It is more common in preschool and primary school children. In adults, this condition is very rare. The pain will have a permanent pulling character, but after eliminating the cause everything will return to normal.

Perhaps not everyone today knows what kind of organ it is - the spleen, where it is and how it hurts. But the task of a local therapist or a more specialized specialist is to correctly identify the anamnesis, to detect the damage regardless of the patient's knowledge of human anatomy. Often, the diseases of this organ are masked for gastric, cardiac, muscle pain, which makes diagnosis difficult.

The structure of the spleen allows it to be a collector of blood that has served its cells and at the same time a cradle for immune units. This is a unique ability of its kind, which can not be compensated by any other body. The people of the spleen often underestimate the role of the spleen, but if you do a thorough analysis, you can wonder how much depends its well-being. Take care of your health! It is better to live a lifetime and not to know what the pain in the left hypochondrium is.

What is a spleen? Where is and how it hurts? Such questions are asked by happy people, whose body works like a clock.