Giant retroperitoneal schwannoma: a case report.

Schwannomas are rare tumors originating from the Schwann sheath of the peripheral or cranial nerves. They are usually benign tumors and in 95% of the cases they originate from the peripheral nerves. Occurrence in the retroperitoneum is rare. We report a case of giant retroperitoneal schwannoma. The patient was a 71-year old female. She was admitted in with the complaints of finding abdominal mass for 8 years and emaciation for 1 year. CT scan showed a 15 cm × 11 cm mass located between the liver and the upper pole of the right kidney. After adequate preparation, the patient underwent surgery. During the procedure, we found a 15 cm × 11 cm × 6 cm mass located between the right liver, right kidney, adrenal gland and vena cava and adhered to them. The pathologic diagnosis was schwannoma.