Laparoscopic resection of retroperitoneal paraganglioma close to caudal vena cava in a dog

OBJECTIVE: To report laparoscopic resection of retroperitoneal paraganglioma close to the caudal vena cava in a dog. STUDY DESIGN: Case report. ANIMAL: Twelve‐year‐old, neutered male Jack Russell terrier. METHODS: The dog had undergone three previous cystotomies for bladder stones. On follow‐up ultrasonographic evaluation, a 14‐mm × 17‐mm tumour was incidentally detected in the dorsal midline of the caudal abdomen. The dog underwent computed tomography (CT) imaging and ultrasound‐guided fine needle aspiration of the tumour under general anaesthesia. CT imaging showed that the tumour was close to the caudal vena cava. There was no evidence of metastasis. Neuroendocrine tumour was suspected on cytologic examination. Based on these findings, laparoscopic tumour resection was performed using a vessel‐sealing device. The operation time was 136 minutes. RESULTS: The dog was stable after recovery from anaesthesia and discharged to home the next day. Histopathological diagnosis of the tumour was a paraganglioma. The dog remained without clinical evidence of recurrent tumour or metastasis for 670 days after the surgery. CONCLUSION: Retroperitoneal paraganglioma in dogs is uncommon, but it is one of the differential diagnoses of a retroperitoneal tumour. Laparoscopic resection of a retroperitoneal paraganglioma was successfully performed in the dog. Laparoscopic resection conferred the advantages over open surgery of being minimally invasive, providing better visualization of the surgical field through pneumoperitoneum and semisternal patient recumbency, and allowing for magnification of the operative field, which facilitated the ease and safety of the procedure.