Laparoscopic management of rare retroperitoneal tumors

Due to their close proximity to major vessels, large size, variable location, and unknown malignant status, retroperitoneal tumors are frequently managed by open surgical exploration. Between 2005 and 2008, 4 patients with retroperitoneal tumors were subjected to laparoscopic management and there was success in 3 cases. Conversion to open resection was needed in 1 case because of bleeding. Mean laparoscopic operative time and blood loss were 154 minutes and 116 mL, respectively. The average hospital stay for the patients who were operated laparoscopically was 4 days. One patient had lymph drainage during the postoperative period and was treated conservatively. The histology reported retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma, retroperitoneal schwannoma, and retroperitoneal paraganglioma. There has been no tumor recurrence at a mean follow-up of 39 months. With advanced laparoscopic skills, better instrumentation, and vastly improved imaging, laparoscopic surgery is feasible even for rare retroperitoneal tumors, and in a selected group of patients it can be the first surgical option.