The spleen is commonly involved in malaria, with hyperplenism and rupture well-documented. Splenic infarcts are less common.
Infarcts can be seen with Plasmodium falciparum, ovale and vivax.
The patient will often have common findings of malaria, with fever and splenomegaly.
Left upper quadrant pain is an important finding for case recognition.
Splenic rupture needs to be excluded.
The infarct is usually evident on CT scan and other imaging studies.
Since splenic infarcts are well-described in patients with sickle cell disease and other hemoglobinopathies, it may be interesting to see if there is increased risk for infarct in this population.
Many patients can be treated conservatively with antimalarial therapy. Splenectomy is usually avoided if possible.
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