Retroperitoneoscopic Resection of a Lumbosacral Plexus Schwannoma: Case Report and Literature Review

Concomitant treatment of ureteral calculi and ipsilateral pelvic sciatic nerve schwannoma with transperitoneal laparoscopic approach: A case report

BACKGROUND

Schwannomas are rare peripheral neural myelin sheath tumors that originate from Schwann cells. Of the different types of schwannomas, pelvic sciatic nerve schwannoma is extremely rare. Definite preoperative diagnosis of pelvic schwannomas is difficult, and surgical resection is the gold standard for its definite diagnosis and treatment.

CASE SUMMARY

We present a case of pelvic schwannoma arising from the sciatic nerve that was detected in a 40-year-old man who underwent computed tomography for intermittent right lower back pain caused exclusively by a right ureteral calculus. Subsequently, successful transperitoneal laparoscopic surgery was performed for the intact removal of the stone and en bloc resection of the schwannoma. The total operative time was 125 min, and the estimated blood loss was inconspicuous. The surgical procedure was uneventful. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 5 with the simultaneous removal of the urinary catheter. However, the patient presented with motor and sensory disorders of the right lower limb, caused by partial damage to the right sciatic nerve. No tumor recurrence was observed at the postoperative appointment.

CONCLUSION

Histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of a schwannoma. Thus, laparoscopic surgery is safe and feasible for concomitant extirpation of pelvic schwannomas and other pelvic and abdominal diseases that require surgical treatment.

Minimally Invasive Approaches for Lumbosacral Plexus Schwannomas

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Lumbosacral plexus schwannomas (LSPSs) are benign, slow-growing tumors that arise from the myelin sheath of the lumbar or sacral plexus nerves. Surgery is the treatment of choice for symptomatic LSPSs. Conventional retroperitoneal or transabdominal approaches provide wide exposure of the lesion but are often associated with complications in the abdominal wall, lumbar or sacral plexus, ureter, and intraperitoneal organs. Advances in technology and minimally invasive (MIS) techniques have provided alternative approaches with reliable efficacy compared with traditional open surgery. We describe 3 MIS approaches using tubular retractor systems according to the lesion level.

METHODS

This was a multicenter, retrospective observational cohort study to evaluate the use of MIS tubular approaches for surgical resection of LSPSs. We included 23 lumbar and upper sacral plexus schwannomas. Clinical presentation, spinal level, surgical duration, degree of resection, days of hospitalization, pathological anatomy of the tumor, approach-related surgical difficulties, and outcomes were collected.

RESULTS

The posterior oblique approach was used in 43.5% of the cases, the transpsoas approach in 39.1%, and the transiliac in 17.4%. The mean operative time was 3.3 hours, and the mean hospitalization was 2.5 days. All tumors were WHO grade 1 schwannoma. Postoperative MRI confirms gross total resection in 91.3% of the patients. No patient requires instrumentation. The pros and cons of each approach were summarized.

CONCLUSION

The MIS approaches adapted to the lumbar level may improve surgeons' comfort allowing a safe resection of retroperitoneal LSPS.

Comparative evaluation of surgical methods for low invasive surgical treatment of diseases of the kidneys and urinary tract

Background. The rapid development of laparoscopic surgery can significantly reduce trauma during operations in the retroperitoneal space. These goals are also achieved by retroperitoneoscopy (RPS), which has become widespread in the last twenty years. The main difficulties for surgeons were associated with a small workspace and a lack of clear anatomical landmarks. Different access methods have different features, advantages and disadvantages, the analysis of which helps to optimize surgical treatment and accelerate patient rehabilitation.

Aim: to study the advantages and disadvantages of retroperitoneoscopic and transperitoneal laparoscopic surgical methods of treatment.

Materials and methods: We analyzed 305  case histories of patients operated on for various kidney diseases. The patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 – patients who underwent surgery using an extraperitoneal retroperitoneoscopic approach, Group 2 – patients who used the transperitoneal laparoscopic approach. A comparison of two methods of surgical treatment of kidney diseases, retroperitoneoscopic and laparoscopic access, was carried out. The following indicators were compared: duration of surgery, length of hospital stay, need for analgesics, frequency of postoperative complications.

Results. The duration of the operation with retroperitoneoscopic surgery was reduced by more than 15 % compared with the laparoscopic approach. Shorter periods of pain relief were required, and the number of complications also decreased. The duration of inpatient treatment did not differ significantly.

Conclusion. Retroperitoneoscopic approach can be used as the method of choice for operations on the retroperitoneal space. 

Laparoscopic excision of a schwannoma arising in the psoas muscle

Schwannoma occurring in the psoas muscle is rare. We report a 49-year-old male who presented to the orthopaedic oncosurgery team with persistent lower back pain radiating to the right lower limb following a fall on the back a few months ago. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a well-defined lesion in the right psoas muscle at the level of third lumbar vertebra (L3). He underwent a laparoscopic excision of this mass using one 10 mm and two 5 mm ports. Intraoperative frozen section after a complete excision showed this to be a benign schwannoma. He was discharged the day after surgery. His symptoms gradually reduced over a period of time and he remains well 3 years after surgery. This case highlights the feasibility and safety of minimally invasive treatment of this rare tumour.

Surgical Strategy for Sacral Tumor Resection

PURPOSE

This study aimed to present our experiences with a precise surgical strategy for sacrectomy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study comprised a retrospective review of 16 patients (6 males and 10 females) who underwent sacrectomy from 2011 to 2019. The average age was 42.4 years old, and the mean follow-up period was 40.8 months. Clinical data, including age, sex, history, pathology, radiographs, surgical approaches, onset of recurrence, and prognosis, were analyzed.

RESULTS

The main preoperative symptom was non-specific local pain. Nine patients (56%) complained of bladder and bowel symptoms. All patients required spinopelvic reconstruction after sacrectomy. Three patients, one high, one middle, and one hemi-sacrectomy, underwent spinopelvic reconstruction. The pathology findings of tumors varied (chordoma, n=7; nerve sheath tumor, n=4; giant cell tumor, n=3, etc.). Adjuvant radiotherapy was performed for 5 patients, chemotherapy for three, and combined chemoradiotherapy for another three. Six patients (38%) reported postoperative motor weakness, and newly postoperative bladder and bowel symptoms occurred in 5 patients. Three patients (12%) experienced recurrence and expired.

CONCLUSION

In surgical resection of sacral tumors, the surgical approach depends on the size, location, extension, and pathology of the tumors. The recommended treatment option for sacral tumors is to remove as much of the tumor as possible. The level of root sacrifice is a predicting factor for postoperative neurologic functional impairment and the potential for morbidity. Pre-operative angiography and embolization are recommended to prevent excessive bleeding during surgery. Spinopelvic reconstruction must be considered following a total or high sacrectomy or sacroiliac joint removal.

Retroperitoneoscopic resection of a T11-L2 right-sided ganglioneuroma

Paraspinal tumors arising from the sympathetic chain include those on the ganglioneuroma-neuroblastoma spectrum. Accurate diagnosis often requires excision owing to the histopathologic heterogeneity of these tumors and the risk of false negative biopsy results. Choice of approach is dictated by location and extirpation is usually amenable to minimally invasive techniques. We present a patient whose paraspinal tumor included the T11-L2 vertebral body levels and was removed using a retroperitoneoscopic approach. This approach is rarely considered in pediatric general surgery and afforded a useful alternative to thoracoscopy or laparoscopy.

The diagnostic utility of retroperitoneoscopic tissue biopsy for unresectable retroperitoneal lesions excluding urogenital cancers

Background

Retroperitoneal tumors are an uncommon disease known to consist of a diverse group of benign and malignant neoplasms. Treatment of unresectable retroperitoneal lesions requires pathological diagnosis. Here, we report the utility and safety of retroperitoneoscopic biopsy for unresectable retroperitoneal lesions excluding urogenital cancers.

Methods

We analyzed 47 patients consisting of 23 (49%) and 24 (51%) cases that underwent retroperitoneoscopic tissue biopsy and open biopsy, respectively. The clinicopathological features, including postoperative complications, were compared between the two groups.

Results

Tumor pathology was diagnosed successfully with a single operation in all patients. Malignant pathology (68%) was more common than benign pathology (32%). The most common pathology was malignant lymphoma, which accounted for about 50% of all cases. There was no significant difference with respect to the age, sex, tumor size, presence of tumor-related symptom, histopathology, operative time, and complications. Three (13%) of 23 patients in the retroperitoneoscopic biopsy group received percutaneous needle biopsy before laparoscopic excisional biopsy because the evaluation of needle cores failed to confirm subclasses of diagnosed pathologies. One patient was converted to open surgery just after the initiation of operation due to severe adhesion of adjacent structures. We had two cases with iatrogenic urinoma due to ureteral injury after retroperitoneoscopic biopsy.

Conclusions

We conclude that retroperitoneoscopic biopsy is a safe and useful tool for benign and malignant retroperitoneal lesions, in comparison to open biopsy. It is critical to carefully examine the preoperative imaging for the location of tumors, especially those close to the renal pelvis and ureter.