A mysterious tumor in the obturator internus muscle - a case report

Novel technical modifications of hand-assisted laparoscopic dissection of a large obturator mass: A case report and literature review

Laparoscopic lateral pelvic tumor dissection (LLPTD) for transobturator tumors may be technically challenging due to the requirement for sufficient operative space. The present study discusses a technique modification with combination of the laparoscopic approach and hand-assisted (HA) open surgery for patients with large obturator masses. LLPTD was performed using the combined approach, defined as HA-LLPTD, with one case treated. According to this technique, a combined working space is constructed based on the outreached laparoscopic space and open extraperitoneal approach, followed by HA-LLPTD. Finally, a literature review was performed to retrospectively evaluate 17 cases of obturator tumors, in terms of tumor type and operative approach. The tumor in the present case was successfully and completely resected, without any obvious intra- and post-operative complications. Based on the literature review, the majority of the cases were benign (~75%) and originated from neurological tissue (~50%). The selection of the operative approach was either open or minimally invasive (50% each). HA-LLPTD allows experienced urological laparoscopic surgeons to safely and completely perform obturator surgery without obstruction of the obturator foramen or formation of intraperitoneal adhesions and associated complications. Therefore, HA-LLPTD may be more useful for transobturator tumor resection compared with the conventional intraperitoneal approach.