ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Inguinal endometriosis is a rare clinical disease with an unclear etiology and pathogenesis, and its diagnosis requires accurate medical history-taking and histological examination. However, surgical treatment for the condition has not yet been standardized. This report presents two cases of inguinal endometriosis. CASE PRESENTATION: The first patient was a 36-year-old woman who complained of pain and swelling in her right inguinal region. Physical examination revealed a soft, tender right inguinal mass. The size of the mass repeatedly increased and decreased during menstruation and did not show swelling with abdominal pressure. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a 3.5 × 2.5 cm mass with high intensity on T2-weighted imaging in the right inguinal canal, and no communication was found between the lesion site and the abdominal cavity. We diagnosed this case as inguinal endometriosis and managed it using an anterior approach and laparoscopic observation. The second patient was a 51-year-old woman who presented with an intermittently painful mass in her right inguinal region. The mass tended to increase in size, with worsening pain before menstruation. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a 2 × 2 cm cystic mass in the right inguinal region. We made a diagnosis of inguinal ectopic endometriosis and decided to operate via the totally extraperitoneal (TEP) method for excision plus transabdominal observation. The postoperative course in both cases was uneventful with no recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Inguinal endometriosis is a rare entity that should be suspected in patients with cyclical symptoms of inguinal pain and swelling that correlate with their menstrual cycle, which might otherwise be attributed to inguinal hernia. It is crucial to make a preoperative diagnosis based on a careful medical review, physical examination, and imaging studies, and to make an appropriate surgical plan. Particularly, in the case of ectopic inguinal endometriosis involving the canal of Nuck, laparoscopic observation is useful for the intraoperative diagnosis of inguinal endometriosis to help rule out the involvement of other abdominal sites. However, it is important to select and modify the surgical technique to avoid rupturing the endometrisis mass and prevent postoperative recurrence.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Double aortic arch (DAA) is a congenital anomaly of the aorta. Esophageal cancer with DAA is rare, and consequently, the appropriate surgical approach has not been standardized. Herein, we report the utilization of intraoperative neurological monitoring (IONM) system to preserve the function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. CASE PRESENTATION: A 79-year-old man with esophageal cancer was diagnosed with DAA incidentally. The descending aorta was located on the right side of the thoracic vertebrae. Safe dissection of the mediastinal lymph nodes was difficult using the right transthoracic approach because of the anatomical abnormalities. During surgery, we used cervical mediastinoscopy combined with the IONM system to preserve the bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerves. Severe complications, including recurrent nerve palsy, were not observed postoperatively. CONCLUSION: IONM may be useful for evaluation of the function of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, and it would be suitable for atypical cases of esophageal cancer.
