Retroperitoneal Lipoma: An Unusual Etiology of Urge Incontinence.

Urge incontinence is the most frequent type of urinary incontinence that can be due to bladder outlet obstruction or overactive bladder. A focused history is crucial to identify the type of urinary incontinence and the possible etiology. We report the case of a 67-year-old man with urinary frequency, urgency, and nocturia. However, his urine stream is normal with no history of an intermittent stream, hesitancy, or postvoid dribbling. Digital rectal examination revealed normal prostatic size. Urinalysis results were normal. Urine culture showed no growth. The patient was prescribed symptomatic treatment in the form of anticholinergic medication but failed to provide any clinical improvement. Urodynamic studies suggested the diagnosis of detrusor instability. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen was performed and demonstrated the presence of a large retroperitoneal lipoma exerting a mass effect on the bladder. The mass was successfully resected by laparotomy operation. Following the operation, the patient had complete resolution of his symptoms. The retroperitoneal region is an extremely rare site for lipoma. Patients with urinary urgency should be carefully evaluated for any structural lesion causing a compressive effect on the bladder.

Introduction

Urinary incontinence, the involuntary leakage of urine, may result from different etiologies. The types of urinary incontinence include urge urinary incontinence, stress urinary incontinence, and mixed urinary incontinence [1]. In men, urinary incontinence was associated with a significantly lower quality of life and a higher rate of depression. It is crucial to identify the type of urinary incontinence by focused history taking. The most common type of incontinence is urge incontinence, which is associated with the sudden and strong desire to pass urine that is difficult to delay and is accompanied by involuntary leakage [2]. The urge incontinence can be related to bladder outlet obstruction such as benign prostatic hyperplasia or can be a result of an overactive bladder. In the present case, we report the case of an elderly man with urge incontinence due to a large retroperitoneal lipoma. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case in the literature of retroperitoneal lipoma causing a detrusor instability and urge incontinence [3].

Case presentation

We present the case of a 67-year-old man who presented to the outpatient clinic with urinary frequency, and urgency, and incontinence. He reported having these symptoms for the last one year. Recently, his symptoms worsened and he needed to void every two hours and had nocturia multiple times a day. There was no history of difficulty with voiding, poor or intermittent urine stream, or postvoid dribbling.

His past medical history is remarkable for long-standing hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. He has been on amlodipine 5 mg once a day, metformin 1000 mg three times a day, and atorvastatin 20 mg once a day. He did not undergo any previous surgical operations. He worked as an accountant. He had smoked 10 cigarettes daily for the last 20 years. He consumed alcohol occasionally. The family history was non-contributory.

Upon examination, the abdomen was soft with no tenderness or palpable masses. Digital rectal examination revealed no enlargement of the prostate. Examination of other systems was normal. The prostate-specific antigen level was 2.1 ng/ml. Urinalysis findings were normal. Urine culture revealed no significant growth. Basic laboratory investigations were within the normal limits (Table 1). In order to provide symptomatic treatment, the patient was prescribed anticholinergic medication (fesoterodine 4 mg) and he was given a follow-up visit eight weeks later.

Table 1

Summary of the results of laboratory findings.

Laboratory investigation	Unit	Result	Reference range
Hemoglobin	g/dL	14.5	13.0–18.0
White blood cell	1000/mL	8.5	4.0–11.0
Platelet	1000/mL	350	140–450
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate	mm/hr.	12	0–20
C-reactive protein	mg/dL	8.2	0.3–10.0
Total bilirubin	mg/dL	0.7	0.2–1.2
Albumin	g/dL	3.9	3.4–5.0
Alkaline phosphatase	U/L	85	46–116
Gamma-glutamyltransferase	U/L	45	15–85
Alanine transferase	U/L	21	14–63
Aspartate transferase	U/L	18	15–37
Blood urea nitrogen	mg/dL	13	7–18
Creatinine	mg/dL	0.8	0.7–1.3
Sodium	mEq/L	139	136–145
Potassium	mEq/L	3.9	3.5–5.1
Chloride	mEq/L	104	98–107

In the subsequent visit, the patient reported progression of his symptoms and he started to have urge incontinence. The urodynamic analysis confirmed the presence of involuntary contractions of the detrusor muscles during the filling phase representing detrusor instability and overactive bladder. An abdominal CT scan was performed to rule out any structural abnormalities as an etiology of the overactive bladder.

The CT scan demonstrated a large retroperitoneal circumscribed low attenuation lesion consistent with lipoma. The lesion was extending into the pelvic cavity and exerting a pressure effect on the bladder (Figures 1, 2). Subsequently, the patient was planned for an elective laparotomy for resection of the tumor. The operation was done under general anesthesia and the patient was in the supine position. A large encapsulated fatty mass was observed. The mass was completely resected. The patient tolerated the procedure and had an uneventful recovery. After the operation, the symptoms resolved gradually. Histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of retroperitoneal lipoma. After three months of follow-up, the patient had no active complaints.

Figure 1

Coronal CT image demonstrating a large lipomatous lesion (arrow) extending into the pelvis.

CT: computed tomography

Figure 2

Axial CT image demonstrating the lipomatous lesion with a compression effect on the urinary bladder (arrow).

CT: computed tomography

Discussion

We reported the case of a retroperitoneal lipoma causing detrusor instability. Lipoma, a benign tumor of mature adipose tissue, is the most common soft tissue tumor in adults. However, the development of lipoma in the retroperitoneal region is exceedingly rare. Further, retroperitoneal tumors are rare and account for <0.5% of all neoplasms in the body. Notably, Weniger et al. [4] have conducted a review of retroperitoneal lipoma and found less than 20 cases reported in the medical literature between 1980 and 2005.

The exact pathogenesis of lipoma remains unclear. Obesity and dyslipidemia have been linked to subcutaneous lipomatous lesions. However, the available data does not suggest that these are risk factors for retroperitoneal lipoma [4]. The majority of lipomatous lesions are asymptomatic. As in the present case, the symptoms of retroperitoneal lipoma are related to their compression effect on adjacent structures. Detrusor instability due to a retroperitoneal lipoma is an unusual finding. Forte et al. [3] reported a similar case in a 61-year-old man with urinary frequency due to compression by a large retroperitoneal lipoma.

A computed tomography scan can make the diagnosis of retroperitoneal lipoma very accurately. Retroperitoneal lipoma exhibits the general features of a lipomatous lesion with an encapsulated lesion of fatty attenuation that has no soft tissue component [5]. However, radiologists need to be cautious while making the diagnosis of retroperitoneal lipoma because deep and centrally located fatty tumors are often malignant. Regarding the management of retroperitoneal lipoma, it is recommended that these lesions should be resected completely because of the possibility of having a well-differentiated liposarcoma that may have a similar radiological appearance as a benign lipoma [6].

Conclusions

The retroperitoneal region is an extremely rare site for lipoma. Patients with urinary urgency should be carefully evaluated for any structural lesion causing a compressive effect on the bladder. A CT scan is the investigation of choice to make the diagnosis of retroperitoneal lipoma. Surgical resection is recommended since deep lipomatous lesions are often malignant.