We report on a 45-year-old man who presented with pain in the left leg, which he had had for 2 months. A contrast-enhanced CT scan displayed a 25-mm tumor in the lateral side of the left psoas muscle. For this suspected retroperitoneal tumor, we performed laparoscopic resection of the tumor, which was encapsulated by the funicular femoral nerve, using surgical scissors rather than a surgical energy device and preserved the normal fascicles wherever possible. Pathological examination indicated a benign ancient schwannoma arising from the femoral nerve. The patient was able to return to his job 3 weeks after surgery, and he has shown no evidence of recurrence. This was thought to be because of the use of surgical scissors, rather than a surgical energy device, combined with visual magnification. Therefore, the laparoscopic approach is an effective and minimally invasive option for the resection of femoral nerve schwannoma.
Keywords: Femoral nerve schwannoma; laparoscopic surgery; retroperitoneal tumor.
© 2016 Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery, Asia Endosurgery Task Force and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.