title: Retroaortic left renal vein in testicular cancer patient: potential staging and treatment pitfall.
abstract: A 20-year-old man was diagnosed with a left mixed germ cell testicular tumor and clinical staging with computerized tomography suggested left para-aortic subhilar retroperitoneal adenopathy. The patient received 4 cycles of cisplatin, vinblastine and bleomycin chemotherapy but the mass in the left renal hilus area remained unchanged. Subsequent retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy revealed the mass to be a retroaoritc left renal vein type 2. Further confusion occurred during followup in differentiating this anomaly from recurrent neoplasm necessitating evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging. Retroaortic left renal vein represents a potential imaging pitfall in testicular cancer that may facilitate suboptimal staging, treatment and followup.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland 20814-4799.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Moul
authors.forename: M I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hartman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities / Q000175:diagnosis; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012169:Retinal Vein / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed