diagnosis and treatment of 31 patients with splenic tumors objective splenic tumor a rare disease is scarcely mentioned in the literature here we wish to present a clinical study on 31 such patients treated in the pla general hospital with emphasis on diagnosis and treatmentmethods thirtyone splenic tumor patients were treated from january 1990 to december 2000 the clinical manifestations and image characteristics of splenic tumor diagnosis and treatment were analysedresults male 19 female 12 their ages ranged from 13 to 80 years with an average of 56 the symptoms and signs were nonspecific all patients were first diagnosed by betaultrasonography to have single or multiple spaceoccupying lesions then 19 patients received ct and 7 mri scans the diagnosis of seven patients suffering from splenic cysts were initially made definite by betaultrasonography among whom the lesions of 6 were confirmed by operation and pathology the diagnosis of 9 patients with metastatic tumor was ascertained by combined imaging and clinical history finally the lesions were confirmed by operation and pathology fifteen patients with primary splenic tumor were found to have primary spaceoccupying lesion by imaging except one patient who was diagnosed to have splenic lymphoma and not operated all the other 14 patients underwent splenectomy with their lesions confirmed by pathology altogether 25 of these 31 patients were treated by splenectomy with uneventful recovery without any operative mortality final pathologic examination disclosed that 2065 of 31 lesions were benignconclusion clinical history and imaging scans are important in the diagnosis of splenic tumors the differentiation of benignity and malignancy is difficult before operation surgery is satisfactory in treating splenic tumors