Laparoscopic approach in the surgical treatment of large retrorectal tumors: a short-term experience at a single tertiary center case series in Korea

Retrorectal tumors, although rare, pose diagnostic and treatment challenges due to their nonspecific symptoms and complex anatomical location. This single-center case series reports short-term outcomes of laparoscopic transabdominal resection as a surgical approach for large retrorectal tumors. Between 2017 and 2020, five patients underwent this procedure. The median patient age was 53.2 years (range, 34-60 years), and the median operating time was 130 minutes (range, 95-205 minutes). All tumors were located in the retrorectal space. The median tumor size was 5.8 × 4.3 cm (range, 3.5-7.5 cm). Biopsy results included epidermoid cysts, tailgut cyst, lipoma, and keratinous cyst. The median hospital stay was 7.8 days (range, 5-11 days), and the median follow-up duration was 78.0 days (range, 14-219 days). One patient developed a postoperative surgical site infection. Overall, laparoscopic transabdominal resection appears to be a minimally invasive and effective treatment option for retrorectal tumors.