Retroperitoneal Ganglioneuroma in a Patient Presenting With Vague Abdominal Pain

Ganglioneuroblastoma, neuroblastoma, and ganglioneuroma (GN) are the tumors that arise from the neural crest cells. Of these, GN has the most benign origin without metastatic potential. The most common sites of their origin are the posterior mediastinum and retroperitoneum. Although the imaging stud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2020-07, Vol.12 (7)
Main Authors: Hussain, Malik Hatim, Iqbal, Zafar, Mithani, Muhammad Shoaib, Khan, Muhammad Noman
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdomen
Asymptomatic
Case reports
Emergency medical care
Gastric cancer
General Surgery
Hospitals
Medical imaging
Neuroblastoma
Oncology
Pain
Pathology
Tumors
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Summary:Ganglioneuroblastoma, neuroblastoma, and ganglioneuroma (GN) are the tumors that arise from the neural crest cells. Of these, GN has the most benign origin without metastatic potential. The most common sites of their origin are the posterior mediastinum and retroperitoneum. Although the imaging studies, including CT, are available to detect these tumors, the definitive diagnosis can only be made by histological examination. We present a case of a 40-year-old woman with a retroperitoneal GN causing longstanding, gradually increasing, uncontrolled abdominal pain due to its pressure effect on the pancreas, duodenum, and right kidney with the displacement of the inferior vena cava. An exploratory laparotomy was performed, and the mass was removed. Histopathology confirmed the benign nature of the mass (a GN). These tumors are rarely malignant and mostly asymptomatic. However, in our case, abdominal pain was affecting the patient’s life. After a discussion with the patient, an elective surgical procedure was performed, and the patient was symptom-free postoperatively and able to resume her regular routine.
ISSN:2168-8184
2168-8184
DOI:10.7759/cureus.9133