Radiological determination of spleen size.

A simple method for determining the size of the spleen would be of value in the study of both normal function and hypersplenism. In the past various radiological methods have been used. These include measurement of the long axis of the spleen (Bergstrand and Ekman, 1957), the width of the spleen 2 cm from the lower pole These are all dependent on a clear outline of the spleen but the spleen cannot always be seen even in good quality radiographs taken with measures to prevent scatter, particularly in the very thin subject. To delineate the outline further, some workers have used Siedlitz powders to distend the stomach and inflated the colon with air via a rectal tube (Zelman and Pickard, 1955; Zelman, 1958). Radioactive scanning of the spleen is also possible (Croll, Brady, Brodsky, and Stanton, 1965; Marsh, Lewis, and Szur, 1966) but this involves considerable