Although the spleen is a very tiny part of the body’”the normal size of spleen in adults is only about 10 cm in length and no more than about 3 centimeters thick when seen from an ultrasound’”its small size belies its importance to the body. It stores up blood for possible use during hemorrhagic shock. It also stores up iron for the body and for distribution by the blood. However, this impact of spleen on the body may be difficult to conceive as an actual state of things because of the small normal size of spleen.
Normal Size of Spleen
Being an important element in the distribution of blood in the body and many other things related to it, it sometimes happen that the spleen will become enlarged.
Causes of Abnormal Size of Spleen
Although there are various causes of small and larger spleen, the most common cause is due to infection or some anomalies of the blood. One way to determine if the spleen is enlarged is through an ultrasound. Because of its convenience, ultrasound testing is the most frequently resorted examination.
The normal size of spleen on ultrasound is about 10-12 cm.
Most examinations determining the normal size of spleen are expressed in cm. This is done because measuring the spleen in centimeters is the closest possible way to determine its size on the tiniest scale for better accuracy. Otherwise, if the measurement is expressed in inches, minimal variations may escape notice and its significance may be lost. On the other hand, measuring the normal size of spleen in very minute measurements such as in millimeters is considered unnecessarily going minute because changes at such degrees are very small to matter.