The remaining spleen in a case of a patient with sickle cell anemia. Notice that in contrast to a normal spleen, which is a large structure weighing approximately 150 grams, a very small remnant of splenic tissue is seen in this patient. Multiple splenic infarcts, resulting in a small spleen, are common in this disease and are referred to as auto-amputation. Abnormal cells form occlusive aggregates which result in infarct of the spleen.
Hemolysis also occurs due to repeat deformations of the red cell.