Laparoscopic excision of retroperitoneal tumors: report of three cases

Retroperitoneal neural tumors are rarely excised laparoscopically, with fewer than ten cases reported in the literature. Between February 2005 and December 2007, we performed successful planned laparoscopic excision of retroperitoneal tumors using the four-trocar technique in three patients. All three patients were women, with a mean age of 40.7 years. The mean tumor size was 4.8 cm. The mean operative time was 126 min and the mean blood loss 14.3 ml. The postoperative pathological diagnosis was schwannoma in one patient and ganglioneuromas in two. There was no morbidity or mortality. Although difficult to diagnose preoperatively, neural tumors in the retroperitoneal space are most often benign, with a good prognosis. Laparoscopic surgical techniques for retroperitoneal tumors are safe, and their use is encouraged when an appropriate diagnosis is made, after exclusion of malignant subtypes.