Learning objectives
Review the complex anatomy of the retroperitoneum
Describe the infiltrative lesions that may be encountered in the retroperitoneum
Recognize the imaging findings that may help distinguish these pathological processes and orientate a correct diagnosis
Background
Retroperitoneal masses are rare but constitute a significant and broad group of neoplasms.
Up to 70-80% of retroperitoneal masses are malignant,
although they only represent 0.1% of all malignancies in the body.
Therefore,
they are infrequent lesions in the daily practice,
and their differential diagnosis may be challenging.
A resolutive radiological study avoids the need for more invasive diagnostic tests,
although histological confirmation is often required for definitive diagnosis due to the considerable overlap of imaging features.
ANATOMY OF THE RETROPERITONEUM
Getting familiar with the...
Findings and procedure details
Due to its depth,
ultrasound is often of limited use for retroperitoneal evaluation.
Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) play a key role in the assessment of retroperitoneal masses.
Familiarity with the spectrum of CT and MR findings in the different diseases would help for accurate diagnosis.
NON-NEOPLASTIC LESIONS
RETROPERITONEAL FIBROSIS
*Author's note: Although there are forms of malignant retroperitoneal fibrosis,
for educational and clarity purposes,
retroperitoneal fibrosis is classified as non-neoplastic taking into account that the idiopathic and benign forms make up the...
Conclusion
Infiltrative retroperitoneal masses may create a diagnostic dilemma because of its low frequency and broad differential diagnosis.
CT and MRI play a vital role in the diagnosis of retroperitoneal tumors.
These imaging techniques allow characterization of the disease and evaluation of the extent,
as well as the affectation of neighboring structures.
Although there is an overlap of imaging findings among the different retroperitoneal lesions,
the knowledge of the most characteristic imaging findings allows optimizing the diagnosis and in some cases,
enables to dispense with histological...
Personal information
Dr.
Estefanía González Montpetit
Resident in training.Department of Radiology,
Hospital Universitario Doctor Peset.
Avenida de Gaspar Aguilar,
90 ,
46017 Valencia,
Spain.
Email:
References
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Idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis....