Hemangiopericytoma in the Retroperitoneal Space : A Case Report

Introduction: A hemangiopericytoma is a rare soft tissue tumor of vascular origin representing 1% of all vascular neoplasms. It is derived from a pericyte of Zimmerman, which is a modified smooth muscle cell that surrounds the small blood vessels. Hemangiopericytoma can occur wherever there are vascular capillaries. In this paper, we report a case of hemangiopericytoma in retroperitoneal space. Case Presentation: A 30-year-old male presented with a palpable lump on the left abdomen. Preoperative imaging indicated that the tumor was in the retroperitoneal space without invasion of other organs. A complete resection was performed via a midline incision. The histological and immunohistochemical staining patterns supported the diagnosis of a hemangiopericytoma. Conclusion: Complete resection is the best way to treat a hemangiopericytoma. Despite its rare incidence in comparision with other mesenchymal tumors of retroperitoneal space, hemangiopericytoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of well defined lobulated retroperitoneal masses. Introduction A hemangiopericytoma is a rare soft tissue tumor of vascular origin representing 1% of all vascular neoplasms. It is derived from a pericyte of Zimmerman, which is a modified smooth muscle cell that surrounds the small blood vessels. This type of tumor was first described by Stout and Murray in 1942 [1] . It tends to be large and well encapsulated [2] . It represents approximately 5% of all sarcomatous tumors, and can occur anywhere, but more usually in the extremities, retroperitoneum, pelvis (uterus, ovary, and urinary bladder), head, neck and lungs. [3] . Approximately 25% of hemangiopericytomas arise from the retroperitoneum and pelvic cavity [4] . We describe a rare case of a hemangiopericytoma in the retroperitoneal space. Case Presentation A 30-year-old male presented with a palpable lump on the left side of abdomen for the past six months. He had no pain or tenderness associated with the lesion, and no other clinical symptoms. On physical examination, the lump was firm with a smooth surface. Rest of the clinical examination was unremarkable. Blood examination was within normal limits. Computed tomography (CT) scan of abdomen showed a well defined mass in the www.jmscr.igmpublication.org Impact Factor 3.79 ISSN (e)-2347-176x DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v3i10.29