title: Retroperitoneal schwannoma. A complex surgical treatment of a tumor with uncertain behavior.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retroperitoneal schwannoma is a rare nerve sheath tumor; the surgical removal of this tumor is sometimes compromised by its location. The aim of this study is to analyze our experience with the diagnosis and treatment of this type of tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present our experience between 1999 and 2011 in the diagnosis and treatment of retroperitoneal schwannoma. During that time, we diagnosed and treated five female patients (four adults and one infant) with the condition. The tumors appeared sporadically and were not associated with neurofibromatosis or other syndromes. Diagnosis was performed by computed tomography (CT) imaging in four cases and by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in one case.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients underwent surgical treatment and complete resection of the lesion. An open resection was performed in four cases, and in the most recent case, the excision was conducted laparoscopically. In all of the cases, the histological diagnosis was retroperitoneal schwannoma, and in one case, there was a melanocytic variant that was not associated with Carney syndrome. At the time of this report, there has been no evidence of recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Retroperitoneal schwannoma is a tumor that is difficult to diagnose with imaging techniques, and because of its localization, the tumor is difficult to remove surgically.
authors.affiliation: Urology Department, San Cecilio University Hospital, Granada, Spain. arrabalp29@gmail.com
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Arrabal-Polo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merino-Salas
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arrabal-Martín
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nogales
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alaminos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zuluaga-Gómez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult