Laparoscopic resection of a retroperitoneal schwannoma

Herein is a report of a case of a 34-year-old man whose chief complaint was right lower abdominal pain. He was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Additionally, an abdominal CT scan found retroperitoneal tumor approximately 5 cm in size, with an imaging effect, located adjacent to the dorsal side of the inferior vena cava. For this suspected neurogenic tumor, laparoscopic appendectomy and retroperitoneal tumorectomy were performed after conservative treatment of appendicitis. The retroperitoneal tumor was 5.5 × 3.5 cm in size, had a capsule, smooth surface and soft elasticity, and the divided face was solid white. The histopathological work-up revealed that the tumor was a benign mixed-type schwannoma, in which spindle cells were arranged. The patient's postoperative course was uneventful, and he was discharged from the hospital 7 days after the surgery. In general, retroperitoneal schwannoma is not associated with any symptoms, so it is often discovered accidentally, as in this case. The appropriate treatment for the condition is surgical resection of the tumor including the capsule. However, the use of laparoscopic surgery has been reported in recent years. Although the majority of the cases are benign, there have been some reports of local recurrence. As such, this case will required careful follow-ups.