title: Thoraco-abdominal approach to large retroperitoneal tumours.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the thoraco-abdominal approach for resection of retroperitoneal tumours, as this approach is rarely used because, although exposure is excellent, morbidity is presumed to be increased.
  
  
  METHODS
  From October 2003 to September 2005, 21 patients (six female, 15 male), aged 14-76 years, underwent resection of very large and/or T4 retroperitoneal tumours through a thoraco-abdominal approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 16 (76%) patients tumour resection was complete. There were no significant complications during surgery. After surgery, there were complications in six patients (29%), in four of whom there was no long-term impairment. One patient died at 75 days after surgery from a complicated retroperitoneal haematoma. The mean (range) estimated blood loss was 2883 (50-20 000) mL, the intensive-care unit stay was 3.85 (0-30) days and the intermediate-care unit stay 2.6 (0-9) days. With a mean follow-up of 9.6 (1-19) months, 15 patients (72%) are recurrence-free, two (10%) have progressive disease, and four (19%) have died from malignancy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The thoraco-abdominal approach permits excellent exposure of the retroperitoneum for large and/or T4 tumours, allowing radical surgery in cases considered otherwise inoperable. Additional advantages are the possibilities of early vascular control and easy surgical extension of the procedure. These facts, combined with the reasonable morbidity found in our series, support the integration of the thoraco-abdominal approach in the regular options for urological surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Heidelberg, Germany. stephen.buse@med.uni-heidelberg.de
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buse
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gilfrich
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wagener
authors.forename: Jesco
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pfitzenmaier
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haferkamp
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hohenfellner
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D013909:Thorax; D016896:Treatment Outcome