This prospective study included 27 patients undergoing splenectomy for splenic disorders at the Department of General Surgery, Istanbul Medical Faculty between February 2007 and October 2007. Patients were selected randomly according to numbers on a random table and assigned to one of the two different surgical procedures. Twenty-seven patients with splenomegaly and primary splenic tumors were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure performed: open splenectomy (Group 1 :OS, n=14) and hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy (Group 2:HALS, n=13). The study plan was reviewed and approved by our institutional ethical committee, and informed consent was obtained for all patients.