Abstract
Retroperitoneal fibrosis can be idiopathic or secondary to various causes, including radiation, malignancy, trauma, and other factors. The cause of retroperitoneal fibrosis can be determined using clinical imaging, though a definite diagnosis is often difficult to make.
We report a case with retroperitoneal fibrosis, diagnosed on laparoscopic biopsy done at the time of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A 72-year-old woman was suspected of having idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis based on ultrasound findings showing a low echoic mass involving an area located from the inferior portion of the aorta to the bilateral common iliac arteries and the inferior vena cava. Due to the atypical mature of the imaging findings, a definitive diagnosis of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis could not be made. Thus, a laparoscopic biopsy was obtained to rule out other entities, such as malignant lymphoma or metastatic carcinoma. Milky white, hard tissue located at the anterior aspect of the aorta was removed ; a diagnosis of idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis was made. With steroid therapy the tumor went into remission. Laparoscopic biopsy is a minimally invasive method that is useful for accurately determining the origin of retroperitoneal tumors.
