ABSTRACT
Objective To elevate diagnosis level and improve treatment for retroperitoneal chemodectoma. Methods Clinical data of 21 cases with retroperitoneal chemodectoma in four hospitals of Songhua river drainage area were analyzed retrospectively. Results CT, Ultrasonography and arteriography delineated retroperitoneal tumor in all 21 cases including 2 cases diagnosed as having retroperitoneal chemodectoma by MRI and arteriography, 19 cases were misdiagnosed (90.5%). All cases underwent surgical resection, with tumors removed completely in 16 cases (76. 2% ) , and 5 were irresetable. Four cases who were not resected died within 11 months postoperatively and 1 died intraoperatively in an resection attempt. In tumor resected cases, 11 have survived more than 12 years, 3 died 8 years later, 2 were still alive at the follow-up of 2 years. Conclusion Surgical treatment is the only effective method to treat the retroperitoneal chemodectoma.