Splanchnomegaly

SPLANCHNOMEGALY (from the Greek splanchnon—viscera and megas—large), gigantism of the internal organs. In a certain sense, cases of gigantism of individual internal organs, for example, gigantism of the colon in Hirschsprung's disease, can also be attributed to splanchnomegaly. In such cases, one can speak of partial splanchnomegaly. But usually, splanchnomegaly is understood as the simultaneous increase in the size of all internal organs or the majority of them, which occurs as a constant phenomenon in acromegaly. The increase in size in splanchnomegaly is observed especially in the visceral organs: the cardiovascular system, liver, spleen, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract; the exceptions are the brain, which remains unchanged, and the reproductive organs, which often show degenerative-atrophic changes in acromegaly. The increase in the size of organs in splanchnomegaly is based on a simultaneous uniform increase in the amount of both the stroma and the parenchyma of the organs, so that their histological structure remains normal. In this, the state of the organs in true splanchnomegaly differs from the enlargement of organs due to their congestive induration or any specific processes. There are various views on the origin of splanchnomegaly. Some authors (Freund, Amsler, and others) see the cause of splanchnomegaly in the conditions of blood circulation that change during acromegaly: chemical and mechanical irritation of the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland by its anterior lobe causes an increased influence of the posterior lobe on the circulatory apparatus and, as a consequence of the increased influx of blood to the organs, their hypertrophy and hyperplasia. In many cases of splanchnomegaly, an increased amount of the entire blood mass and increased blood supply to the organs are indeed noted. Other authors (W. Fischer and others) explain the enlargement of organs in acromegaly not only by an increased influx of blood but also by specific incretory influences from the pituitary gland, which is altered in acromegaly. The concept of splanchnomegaly is contrasted with the concept of splanchnomicria, the reduction of organs. This phenomenon is observed especially often in diseases of the pituitary gland, its anterior lobe, in particular in so-called pituitary cachexia.