To evaluate the quality of ultrasonic diagnosis of retroperitoneal schwannomas and its influencing factors to find the measures to improve the diagnosis quality.

From January 2015 to April 2022, patients with retroperitoneal schwannomas who underwent surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital were studied. All of the cases were confirmed by pathology. The results of preoperative ultrasound reports were summarized, and the quality of ultrasound diagnosis was evaluated by localization diagnosis and qualitative diagnosis.

There were 21 cases of retroperitoneal schwannomas with preoperative ultrasound report, all of them were single, and one case (4.8%) was missed by preoperative ultrasound. The maximal diameter of the 20 schwannomas diagnosed by preoperative ultrasound was (6.7±3.6) cm, of which 16 (80.0%) were located in the abdominal retroperitoneum and 4 (20.0%) were located in the pelvic retroperitoneum; 14 (70.0%) manifested as a heterogeneous solid and cystic mass, and 6 (30.0%) presented as a hypoechoic solid mass. Among the 20 cases, 17 (85.0%) were in accordance with the localization diagnosis and 3 (15.0%) were not; 2 (10.0%) were qualified for qualitative diagnosis and 18 (90.0%) were not.

Ultrasound has a high accuracy for the localization diagnosis of retroperitoneal schwannomas. Retroperitoneal schwannomas lack typical sonogram characteristics, and sonographers should be familiar with the anatomy and pay attention to the medical history collection to further improve the accuracy of its qualitative diagnosis.