Retrorectal Tumors

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Extrarectal masses occurring in the presacral or retrorectal region are considerably commoner than the literature indicates. The common idea that these tumors are rare is explained by the fact that most authors on the subject confine their discussion to only the congenital or anomalous group, failing to take note of the inflammatory and neoplastic varieties. Since a wide variety of lesions may occur in this region and since many of them are asymptomatic, being discovered only on routine digital examination of the rectum, the examiner may be at a loss as to how to deal with them. In the making of a differential diagnosis, as well as in the treatment, it may be necessary to call on the neurologist, neurosurgeon, roentgenologist and orthopedist, each of whom should know his limitations in dealing with them. These tumors are of interest to the proctologist from the standpoint of differential diagnosis and because