What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Case Report. Population: Middle-aged male patient (55 years) with symptomatic extra-adrenal retroperitoneal myelolipoma causing abdominal pain and compression symptoms (n=1). Intervention: Surgical resection. Primary outcome: Resolution of symptoms and successful tumor removal confirmed by pathology.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to detail the clinical presentation and management of an extrarenal retroperitoneal myelolipoma.

March 8, 2026Open Access

A case report of extra-adrenal retroperitoneal myelolipoma

Key Result

Surgical resection successfully resolved abdominal pain caused by a 7.0 cm extra-adrenal retroperitoneal myelolipoma in a 55-year-old male patient.

Key Points

The aim is to detail the clinical presentation and management of an extrarenal retroperitoneal myelolipoma.
Case report of a patient presenting with abdominal pain.
Initial misdiagnosis as well-differentiated retroperitoneal liposarcoma.
Surgical resection performed to remove the tumor.
Detailed analysis of imaging features and diagnosis provided.
Successful surgical resection of the myelolipoma.
Patient was discharged without complications.
Insights into the imaging characteristics and treatment options were summarized.

Study Design

Type

Case Report (n=1)

Multicenter

Structured PICO

Population

1 55-year-old male with intermittent, mild, dull pain around the umbilicus, with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and traumatic surgery.

Intervention

Surgical resection

Outcome

Successful discharge and improvement in abdominal pain symptoms

Extra-adrenal retroperitoneal myelolipoma is a rare benign tumor that can mimic liposarcoma on imaging but is curable with surgical resection.

Limitations

Single patient case report limits generalizability.
No long-term follow-up imaging to confirm tumor recurrence or residual disease.
Lack of hormone testing to elucidate tumor etiology.
No comparator or control group for assessing treatment efficacy.

Abstract

Myelolipoma is a benign tumor composed of mature adipose tissue and hematopoietic elements, typically found in the bone marrow. It mainly occurs in the adrenal gland, with only over 50 cases of extrarenal myelolipoma reported in literature, and extrarenal renal myelolipoma occurring in the posterior abdominal cavity is particularly rare. Currently, there are only 6 reported cases abroad. We report a case of extrarenal retroperitoneal medullary lipoma treated after abdominal pain, which was misdiagnosed as well differentiated retroperitoneal liposarcoma before surgery. The patient was successfully discharged after surgical resection. This paper provides a detailed summary of the clinical presentation, imaging features, diagnosis, and management course of this case, aiming to offer diagnostic and therapeutic insights for clinicians and future research.

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