Anesthetic management of a huge retroperitoneal leiomyoma: a case report

BACKGROUND: Retroperitoneal leiomyomas are rare, with just over 100 cases reported in the literature. Perioperative management of retroperitoneal leiomyomas can be challenging due to the large tumor size and the risk of hemorrhage. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 40-year-old Han woman with a 40-cm retroperitoneal leiomyoma. General anesthesia was performed for the surgical resection. Key flow parameters like cardiac output and stroke volume variation, as shown by the Vigileo™-FloTrac™ system, enabled the anesthesiologist to implement goal-directed fluid optimization. Acute normovolemic hemodilution and cell salvage technique were used resulting in a successful en bloc tumor resection with a 6000-mL estimated blood loss. Although the patient experienced postoperative bowel obstruction, no other significant complications were observed. CONCLUSION: Advanced hemodynamic monitoring and modern patient blood management strategies are particularly helpful for anesthetic management of huge retroperitoneal leiomyomas.