Retroperitoneal schwannoma: a case series and review

Schwannomas account for only a small percentage of retroperitoneal tumours. Presentation is typically varied and non-specific and pre-operative diagnosis is difficult. Herein are described five cases of retroperitoneal schwannoma. Presentation was varied, ranging from abdominal pain, abdominal mass, obstructed labour or an incidental finding. All patients had either an abdominal computed tomography scan and/or ultrasound performed. Pre-operative biopsy either by fine needle aspiration (in one patient) or core biopsy in two patients was unhelpful. In four patients with smaller tumours, complete excision was possible with no apparent long-term morbidity and no clinical evidence of recurrent tumour with follow up from 3.5 months to 11 years. For the largest tumour, complete surgical excision was not attempted as it would have entailed significant morbidity.