Fig. 1

a Ultrasonography of the abdomen indicating the absence of a spleen; the upper pole of the left kidney is located beneath the diaphragm. b Nonenhanced computed tomography of the abdomen indicating the lack of a spleen on the left. c Peripheral blood smear showing the presence of Howell-Jolly body (arrow). d Scintigraphy with Tc-99 m phytate colloid showing no functional spleen tissue