Rarely, a child may grow another spleen while developing in the womb. This is typically a small nodule near the actual spleen. Around ten percent of the population has these accessory spleens, though they are only around a centimeter in diameter, so most people do not realize it. Some children may develop more than one accessory spleen as part of the congenital disease polysplenia. This can prevent the development of a functional, full-sized spleen.

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