[Laparoscopic management of a retroperitoneal tumor: case report and literature review]

Retroperitoneal tumors are a rare finding and most masses are of malignant origin. We report the laparoscopic management a low grade retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma.

A 56 year old woman with a left 12 cm retro-renal mass underwent transperitoneal laparoscopic exploration. The tumor was clearly visualized on the lateral aspect of the left kidney. Following basic oncologic principles, the mass was carefully dissected off the renal capsule and extracted in a laparoscopic bag through a small incision on the left lower quadrant.

Operative time was 135 minutes and estimated surgical bleeding was 200 ml. The patient evolved uneventfully and was discharged home on postoperative day 3. Final pathological analysis revealed that the lesion was a very low grade leiomyosarcoma. At six months follow-up the patient remains disease free and has completely recovered.

Even though open surgery remains the standard treatment for all retroperitoneal tumors, the laparoscopic approach of a retroperitoneal mass is technically feasible and oncologically safe. Further studies will show long term results.