[A case of presacral myelolipoma]

Abstract

Myelolipoma is a rare benign pathology whose pathogenesis is still unclear. It is most frequently localised in the adrenal gland, followed by the presacral region, mediastinum, and perirenal and hepatic region. It varies in size from a few millimetres to several centimetres. The lesion is usually capsulated, detachable from the surrounding tissues and hypovascularised. In histological terms, it is composed of lipomatous and hematopoietic tissues. A 65-year-old female patient was referred to our unit after the finding of a nonbiopsied, pelvic mass during earlier surgery. The patient was in considerable pain owing to the extrinsic compression of the mass on abdominal and pelvic organs. Preoperative tests confirmed the presence of a voluminous presacral neoformation that appeared to have a possible medullary origin (chordoma or schwannoma). During surgery, the lesion was found to be capsulated and mainly adherent to the rectum. Histological analysis confirmed the myelolipomatous nature of the lesion. A review of 21 cases reported in the literature is presented.