Surgical management of a retro-rectal cystic hamartoma (tailgut cyst) using a trans-rectal approach: a case report and review of the literature

摘要

IntroductionRetro-rectal cystic hamartoma (tailgut cyst) is a rare congenital developmental lesion arising from post-natal primitive gut remnants in the retro-rectal space. The rarity of the lesion and its anatomical position usually leads to difficulty in diagnosis and surgical management. Complete surgical resection remains the cornerstone of treatment. A dozen or so surgical approaches have been described in the literature to date to make the operation as simple as possible, but the trans-rectal access route is extremely rarely reported and not well described. Here, we present a case that demonstrates the trans-rectal approach to a retro-rectal tumor is a feasible option in terms of surgical radicality, minimal invasiveness and safety for carefully selected patients with this rare type of retro-rectal cystic lesion.