Spleen: management of splenic injury: practice question

A General Surgery question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Surgery · Spleen: management of splenic injury

Sample item

A 22-year-old after a road accident has a grade III splenic laceration on CT, with stable vital signs and no peritonitis. What is the management?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Non-operative management with monitoring

Haemodynamically stable patients with isolated splenic injury are managed non-operatively in a monitored setting, with angio-embolisation for ongoing bleeding. Splenectomy is needed for instability, failure of conservative care or other abdominal injuries. Preserving the spleen reduces the risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection.

Option by option

  • A. Discharge home

    A grade III injury requires monitoring in hospital.

  • B. Immediate splenectomy

    Splenectomy is reserved for unstable patients.

  • C. Non-operative management with monitoring (correct)

    Correct. Stability allows non-operative care.

  • D. Splenic artery ligation for every patient

    Routine ligation is not required.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this General Surgery question

What is the answer to this General Surgery question?

The best answer is C, Non-operative management with monitoring. Haemodynamically stable patients with isolated splenic injury are managed non-operatively in a monitored setting, with angio-embolisation for ongoing bleeding.

Why is "Discharge home" not the answer?

A grade III injury requires monitoring in hospital.

Why is "Immediate splenectomy" not the answer?

Splenectomy is reserved for unstable patients.

Why is "Splenic artery ligation for every patient" not the answer?

Routine ligation is not required.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Spleen: management of splenic injury in General Surgery. Splenectomy is needed for instability, failure of conservative care or other abdominal injuries. Preserving the spleen reduces the risk of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Spleen: management of splenic injury?

Learn classic signs and eponyms alongside what they diagnose. Then use the flashcards and the other General Surgery questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.