Splenic puncure: Diagnostic accuracy and safety in infectious Diseases.

Abstract

To our knowledge, Widal, late in the 19th century, was the first to puncture the spleen for the diagnosis of typhoid fever. Since then, splenic aspiration has been widely used around the Mediterranean Basin and in Asia in the diagnosis of leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, and malaria. We present herein a brief review of the use of this technique with regard to its utility and safety in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, and share our experiences of its use in the diagnosis of brucellosis.