From the Research
The spleen is a fist-sized organ in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen with a complex internal structure that can be remembered using the mnemonic "PALS WHITE RED." The spleen consists of white pulp and red pulp separated by a marginal zone. The white pulp contains lymphoid tissue organized around central arteries (PALS - Periarteriolar Lymphoid Sheaths) where T cells predominate, and lymphoid follicles with germinal centers where B cells are found. The red pulp consists of venous sinuses and splenic cords (of Billroth) where blood filtration occurs. Blood enters the spleen through the splenic artery, which branches into trabecular arteries, then central arteries, and eventually into smaller vessels. Another helpful mnemonic is "WHITE fights" (immune function) and "RED recycles" (filtering old red blood cells). The spleen's structure supports its main functions: immune surveillance, removal of old red blood cells, and blood storage. Understanding this structure is important because splenic disorders can affect both immune function and hematologic parameters, and the spleen's highly vascular nature makes it vulnerable to traumatic injury, as seen in studies such as 1.
Some key points to remember about the spleen's structure include:
- The spleen is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen
- It has a complex internal structure with white and red pulp
- The white pulp contains lymphoid tissue and is involved in immune function
- The red pulp is involved in blood filtration and removal of old red blood cells
- The spleen's structure supports its main functions of immune surveillance, removal of old red blood cells, and blood storage, and is relevant to the management of splenic injuries, as discussed in studies such as 2 and 3.
It's worth noting that while the provided evidence discusses various aspects of splenic trauma and management, the question is focused on the structure of the spleen, and the most relevant information is the description of the spleen's internal structure and its functions, as supported by general medical knowledge and studies such as 1.