The spleen, originally called the organum plenum mysterii by Galen, has long been an important organ for surgeons. The first splenectomy was performed by Andirano Zaccarello in 1549 on a young woman with an enlarged spleen who survived for 6 years after surgery. Traditionally, surgical removal of the spleen was done via an open approach using either an upper midline or left subcostal incision. With the advent of minimally invasive techniques, laparoscopic splenectomy became a standard procedure for elective removal of the spleen for most indications. Since the first report of laparoscopic splenectomy by Delaitre and Maignien in 1991, it has been increasingly used; however, several technical challenges remain related to removing this fragile, well vascularized organ that lies close to the stomach, colon, pancreas, and kidney. Indications for laparoscopic splenectomy are the same as those for open splenectomy except when emergency splenectomy and exploratory laparotomy for traumatic injuries are needed. Laparoscopic splenectomy is indicated for various benign hematologic diseases, malignant hematologic diseases, secondary hypersplenism, and other anatomic disorders of the spleen. Severe intra-operative bleeding has limited the application of complex laparoscopic splenectomy (LS), including laparoscopic total splenectomy (LTS) and laparoscopic partial splenectomy (LPS). Therefore, reducing bleeding risk in complex LS has become a subject of major interest. In LTS for splenomegaly and hypersplenism secondary to portal hypertension, the splenic artery can be ligated with a titanium clip or a Hem-o-lock clip to render the spleen smaller, softer, and easier to operate on. However, in patients with severe local edema or unclear blood vessel exposure, the splenic artery should not be forcibly separated to prevent uncontrollable massive bleeding.