[Vestigial retrorectal cyst in adults]

The aim of this retrospective study was to report three cases of retrorectal vestigial cyst in adults.

From 1977 to 1999 retrorectal vestigial cyst (RVC) was diagnosed in our department in three women who were 28, 57 and 53 years of age, respectively. RVC was revealed by either pain (n = 2) that occurred in one case in a pregnant woman, or acute intestinal obstruction (n = 1). The patients were operated on using a perineal approach in two cases and an abdominal approach in one case.

One epidermoid cyst and two mixed cysts without any sign of malignancy were observed. Postoperative follow-up was simple in two patients, while complications occurred in the third one via an uretero-vaginal fistula which required uretero-vesical reimplantation. The first two patients, reviewed after a 1-year follow-up, had no functional trouble and no sign of recurrence.

Retrorectal vestigial cysts are very rare tumors with a risk for degeneration. Computerized tomography on nuclear magnetic resonance and endorectal ultrasonography allow detection of their structure and topography and help guide their surgical approach. In the absence of malignancy, wide excision, if possible without opening of the cystic wall, leads to good results.