Laparoscopic resection of a retroperitoneal schwannoma

Schwannomas or neurilemomas are rare, benign tumors that originate from the neural sheath. A 54-year-old man presented with left flank discomfort and lumbar pain for 6 months. A computed tomographic scan confirmed the existence of a 12 × 9 cm heterogeneous retroperitoneal mass adherent to the left psoas muscle that displaced the left kidney anteriorly. Total laparoscopic removal of the tumor was performed and pathologic examination revealed a benign schwannoma.