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	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The spleen is an organ that lies behind the stomach on the left side of the abdomen. It serves as a graveyard for old or flawed red blood cells (oxygen-carrying cells) and as a storage site for blood and platelets (essential for clotting). The spleen also clears bacteria and is important for proper immune function, especially in fighting bacteria. Diseases associated with impaired spleen function include sickle cell anemia (a disease that causes irregularly shaped red blood cells) and malaria (a parasite infection of the blood). Some people may need removal of the spleen to prevent deadly bleeding that can occur after an injury, to treat diseases that cause disruption of blood cells), or to treat cancers involving the spleen.

The November 23/30, 2005, issue of JAMA includes an article about children who sustain an injury to the spleen.

REMOVAL OF THE SPLEEN

If part of the spleen is removed, the spleen may regenerate. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Erin Brender, MD, Writer; Alison Burke, MA, Illustrator; Richard M. Glass, MD, Editor

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