Attempted Spleen Transplant in Classical Hemophilia

Recent evidence has indicated that the spleen may be partly responsible for synthesis or storage of antihemophilic factor (factor VIII) in dogs (8) and in man (2). Transplantation of the spleen into dogs with congenital deficiency of factor VIII has been shown to result in increased circulating levels of this clotting factor for prolonged periods (3). Spleen transplantation in man has been done without significant morbidity because of the procedure itself or graft-versus-host reaction (1, 5). Therefore, it seemed reasonable to attempt allogeneic grafting of a spleen into a patient with severe factor VIII deficiency.