Diagnostics and operative treatment of retrorectal cysts - description of five cases

Background. Retrorectal cysts (RC) are unusual lesions. Publications on RC are very rare and describe a few cases at most. Methods. Authors describe five patients with RC. The diagnostics of RC was based on the medical history of the patients and the basic diagnostic investigation was trans rectal ultrasonography. An operation to remove the cysts from perineal access was the treatment administered in these cases. Results. In three cases the histopathological examination showed cystis epidermalis. In another case a cyst epithelialized with ciliated epithelium was found. In the last case bone tissue, fatty tissue and fibrous tissue were depicted, all in the state of chronic inflammation. Conclusions. Per rectum digital exam is the basic examination decisive in making the diagnosis. TRUS should be employed as the diagnostic investigation in order to estimate precisely the size of a cyst and its proportion to the rectum wall. Retrorectal cystectomy in perineal access is an effective method of treatment of this disease. This article, likewise other research works, describes a small group of patients, therefore, its conclusions should be treated as preliminary ones. (author)