Endocrinologically active retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma with positive iodine-131-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy

Case report of severe psychiatric sequelae in a 16-year-old female following resection of a purely dopamine-secreting ganglioneuroma

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Ganglioneuromas are rarely hormonally active.

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When metabolically active they typically secrete epinephrine or norepinephrine.

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Exclusively dopamine-secreting tumors are exceedingly rare.

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Surgical excision is the treatment of choice for ganglioneuromas.

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Psychiatric sequelae should be anticipated after resection of a purely dopamine-secreting tumor.

Background

Ganglioneuromas (GN) are rare, benign tumors derived from neural crest cells. They are in the same family of neuroblastic tumors that includes the intermediate ganglioneuroblastoma (GNB) and the malignant neuroblastoma (NB), each of which carries a different prognosis based on tumor histopathology. GNs are generally asymptomatic and usually found incidentally when the tumor becomes palpable or has grown large enough to exert mass effect on adjacent structures. Unlike their malignant counterparts, GNs are rarely hormonally active and usually do not exhibit systemic metabolic activity. We present a case of an adolescent female with a pelvic tumor that was found to be a purely dopamine-secreting GN. Resection resulted in sudden dopamine withdrawal and unexpected severe emotional lability post-operatively.

Case

A 16-year-old female presented with a history of increasingly irregular menses over the past year and was found to have an 8-centimeter pelvic tumor. Subsequent work up revealed the mass to be solely dopamine secreting. The tumor was excised without preoperative hormonal blockade. Post-operatively, the patient developed severe emotional lability and symptoms of depression, likely related to the acute withdrawal of circulating dopamine.

Conclusion

Ganglioneuromas are rarely metabolically active. However, a preoperative endocrine workup should be done to rule out other more commonly hormonally active tumors such as neuroblastomas, pheochromocytomas, and paragangliomas. If isolated dopamine secretion is found, hormonal blockade is not required preoperatively and operative manipulation and removal should be considered safe. However, one should anticipate potential emotional and psychiatric issues post-operatively due to the acute withdrawal of circulating dopamine.

Hormone-secreting large adrenal ganglioneuroma in an adult patient: a case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND. Ganglioneuromas (GNs) are neural crest cell-derived tumors and rarely occur in the adrenal gland. They are usually asymptomatic and hormonally silent. The majority of cases are detected incidentally during work-up for unrelated conditions. Hormone-secreting pure adrenal GNs in adults are extremely rare. To date, only four cases have been reported in the English literature. CASE REPORT. We describe an adult case of endocrinologically active adrenal GN incidentally diagnosed in a 64-year-old male patient with history of uncontrolled hypertension. On physical examination, he had a blood pressure (BP) of 160/100 mmHg. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a large solid tumor (8.5 × 7.5 × 7 cm) in the right adrenal gland. Urinary levels of norepinephrine, normetanephrine, vanillylmandelic acid and dopamin were elevated, although urinary level of epinephrine was suppressed. Right adrenalectomy was performed for treatment purposes. The histological diagnosis of the resected tumor was adrenal GN. CONCLUSIONS. Hormone-secreting pure adrenal GN occurs very rarely in adults and preoperative diagnosis is difficult. Adrenal GN may present with hormonal activity such as increased secretion of catecholamines and their metabolites. There are no specific diagnostic signs and symptoms discriminating GN and pheochromocytoma. Therefore, histopathological examination need for a definitive diagnosis of adrenal GN. The prognosis after completed surgical resection without further therapy seems to be excellent. To our knowledge, the present case is the second report that describes hormone-secreting pure adrenal GN in an adult from Turkey in the English literature. We discuss this case and review the literature on this unusual entity.

Adrenal ganglioneuromas: incidentalomas with misleading clinical and imaging features

BACKGROUND

Ganglioneuromas are benign neoplasms of the neural crest, occurring rarely in the adrenal glands. This study presents our experience regarding diagnostic and therapeutic management of these neoplasms and a review of the relevant literature.

METHODS

Among 150 patients with of incidentalomas, we had 7 primary ganglioneuromas. Their clinical, imaging, and operative data were collected retrospectively, and the literature was reviewed using MEDLINE. There were 4 females and 3 males, with mean age of 50 years (range, 39-64). All neoplasms were discovered incidentally with ultrasonography and were evaluated subsequently with computed tomography (CT). One patient was studied further with (131)I-MIBG due to asymptomatic increased in urine vanillylmandelic acid, and 1 patient with history of breast cancer underwent additional FDG-PET/CT.

RESULTS

All but 2 patients were asymptomatic. Two patients complained of epigastric pain and hypertension, respectively. The preoperative mean size on CT was 6.8 cm, whereas the postoperative true mean histologic size was 7.7 cm. Both patients who were evaluated with radionuclide studies had false positive results, suggestive of pheochromocytoma and adrenal metastasis, respectively. Three patients underwent open adrenalectomy due to preoperative suspicion of carcinoma, and the remaining 4 underwent laparoscopic anterior adrenalectomy. Histologically, all 7 neoplasms were completely differentiated, mature ganglioneuromas. We had no mortality or significant morbidity. No recurrence occurred during a mean follow-up of 6 years (range, 1-18).

CONCLUSION

Adrenal ganglioneuromas are rare incidentalomas that can mimic primary or secondary adrenal malignancies as well as pheochromocytomas. Despite their usually large size, resection via laparoscopic approach is safe and effective.

Adrenal ganglioneuroma: report of a new case

Although adrenal ganglioneuroma (GN) is a rare tumor originating from the neural crest tissue of the sympathetic nervous system, detection of this tumor has increased, as imaging procedures such as ultrasonography (US) and computed tomography (CT) have become prevalent. The clinical presentation for most patients is asymptomatic, and most of those tumors are hormone silent. We describe a case of adrenal GN incidentally diagnosed in a 68-year-old female patient. Physical examination, routine laboratory studies, and hormonal tests were within normal ranges. Abdominal CT and magnetic resonance imaging showed a solid oval tumor approximately 6 x 4 cm in the left adrenal gland without remarkable signs of malignancy. Left adrenalectomy was performed for treatment purposes. Histological diagnosis of the tumor was a ganglioneuroma originating from the adrenal medulla. Adrenal GN occurs rarely in adults and preoperative diagnosis is difficult, especially in asymptomatic cases. It needs careful evaluation and surgical treatment. According to our knowledge, this is the fifth case of adrenal GN in an adult patient from Turkey in English literature.

[Retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma. Report of a case]

Retroperitoneal ganglioneurom is a primitive, rare and benign tumor originating in the neural sheath. We report the case of a 27-years old man. An abdominal sonography had revealed accidentally a 60 mm, well demarcated tumor. The left renal vein was compressed an forced back. This tumor was located in front of and internal to the left kidney. The CT scan confirmed this tumor. A left subcostal laparotomy was done. The tumor was soft and movable. A total exeresis was performed. The pathology examination had conclude in a benign ganglioneuroma. The follow-up was six years and half. Retroperitoneal ganglioneuroma is a benign tumor with a good prognosis. The treatment is surgical.