Robot-assisted approach to a retrorectal lesion in an obese female.

BACKGROUND

Often detected incidentally, retrorectal tumors frequently require resection secondary to possibility of malignancy, development of infection, and localized growth with compression. The surgical approach is summarized to abdominal, posterior or a combination, depending on the location of the retrorectal mass and its relationship to the pelvic sidewall. Laparoscopic transabdominal resection of retrorectal tumors has shown safety and efficacy. Robot technology offers a stable platform with superb optics, and endo-wristed instruments that can facilitate dissection in the narrow pelvis. We present the emerging new technique of robot-assisted minimally invasive approach to a retrorectal mass in an obese female.

METHODS

An obese 35-year-old female, body mass index (BMI) 41 kg/m, with an incidental 2 cm cystic retrorectal lesion involving the pelvic sidewall was taken to the operating room for a robot-assisted minimally invasive resection of the mass.

RESULTS

Total operative time was 2 hours and 30 minutes, and total robotic dissection at 70 minutes. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 2. Final pathology revealed a benign Mullerian type cyst, 2.2 cm in greatest dimension.

CONCLUSIONS

Robot-assisted minimally invasive resection of a retrorectal mass is safe and feasible. This method can be particularly useful in the narrow pelvis and with obese patients.