Splenectomy in the Dog by Ligation of the Splenic and Short Gastric Arteries

Splenectomy was performed in 15 crossbred dogs; hilar vessel ligation was used in eight dogs (group 1) and splenic and short gastric artery ligation were used in seven (group 2). Blood flow to six sites along the greater and lesser curvatures of the stomach was recorded with radioactive tracer microspheres. A significantly higher blood flow was recorded in group 2 for the site supplied by the right gastroepiploic artery (p = 0.0441). There was no difference between the groups for the site supplied by the left gastroepiploic and short gastric arteries. Histologically, there was no difference in gastric tissue samples from four sites. Splenic and short gastric artery ligation did not compromise stomach blood flow or the integrity of the stomach wall, and may be superior for splenectomy because of its relative simplicity and potentially shorter operative time.