Abstract
A retroperitoneal tumor suspected of invasion to the aortic wall difficult to diagnosis and the advisability of a combined aortic resection has not gained consensus. In this article, we report a rare case of retroperitoneal tumor resected together with the adjacent abdominal aorta and a review of the relevant literature. A 42-year-old man developed backache and was found to have a retroperitoneal tumor appressed to the aortic wall in a computed tomography (CT). Although the malignancy of the tumor was strongly suggested by enhanced CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose position emission tomography (FDG-PET), diagnosis with preoperative needle biopsy was not carried out because of its difficulty. Due to the tight adherence of the tumor to the aortic wall, open laparotomy and tumor resection with adjacent abdominal aorta was conducted with the intent to make a definitive diagnosis and radical cure. The resected aorta was replaced by an artificial vessel. While the intra-operative biopsy showed malignancy whose origin was not determinable, the final pathological findings gave a diagnosis of seminoma. Postoperative course was uneventful without recurrence for over one year.
