title: Presacral ganglioneuroma: diagnostic considerations and therapeutic strategy.
abstract: Presacral ganglioneuroma is an extremely rare tumor of neural crest origin. To the best of our knowledge, less than 20 cases have been reported previously. The present study reports on a presacral ganglioneuroma, 10.5 × 8 × 4 cm in size, that was found incidentally in a 35-year-old man with prior history of diverticulitis. He was admitted to our hospital due to lower left abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the extension of the lesion from the S2 level to the coccyx. The mass had low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and heterogeneous high signal intensity on T2-weighted images with no intraspinal or rectal extension. T2-weighted images demonstrated a compartmentalized solid tumor with cystic components. Complete tumor resection with free surgical margins was achieved using an abdominal approach. The patient remains asymptomatic 2 years after surgery. We emphasize on clinical features, radiologic appearance and surgical treatment of this rare entity. The clinical and pathologic features of previously reported studies are also briefly reviewed.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery and Transplant Unit, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vardas
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery and Transplant Unit, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Manganas
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery and Transplant Unit, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery and Transplant Unit, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasileios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vougas
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery and Transplant Unit, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakalis
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chantziara
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Exarhos
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery and Transplant Unit, Evaggelismos General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Spiros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Drakopoulos
keywords: Ganglioneuroma; Presacral ganglioneuroma; Retrorectal tumors