Feasibility of a retroperitoneal approach as a surgical strategy for patients with situs inversus totalis: presentation of a patient undergoing laparoscopic radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Situs inversus totalis (SIT) is a rare condition that occurs because of an autosomal recessive congenital defect. It is difficult to perform surgery on thoracoabdominal organs in patients with SIT, particularly laparoscopically, because of the totally inverted position of these organs, similar to a mirror image. Here, we report the case of an 81-year-old man with SIT who underwent laparoscopic radical nephrectomy using a retroperitoneal approach. Since the retroperitoneal approach could eliminate cumbersome procedures due to the inverted position of the intraperitoneal visceral organs in this patient, laparoscopic surgery was safely performed without the technical difficulties associated with SIT. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the successful completion of retroperitoneoscopic radical nephrectomy in a patient with SIT.