Pararectal paraganglioma

An unusual mesenteric tumor 'paraganglioma': a case report

Introduction:

Paragangliomas are mostly localized in the adrenal medulla and they are usually pheochromocytomas, derived from the neural crest, but otherwise mesenteric paragangliomas are extremely rare tumors.

Case Presentation:

In this article we represent a 59-year-old female with an abdominal mass and pain due to mesenteric paraganglioma.

Conclusions:

Paragangliomas can occur as mesenteric tumors; usually, preoperative accurate diagnosis is not possible with imaging methods and precise diagnosis is possible after histological evaluation.

Mesenteric paraganglioma: Report of a case

We report a rare case of paraganglioma that developed in the mesentery of terminal ileum. A 78-year-old woman complained of right-sided abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a solid heterogeneously enhanced mass in the right lower abdomen. The tumor was laparoscopically excised. The mesenteric tumor was well circumscribed, ovoid, and encapsulated and measured 3 cm × 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm. Histological examination showed a cellular neoplasm comprised of nests and groups of tumor cells separated by fibrovascular connective tissue, giving a characteristic nested Zellballen pattern. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells were positive for chromogranin, synaptophysin, CD56, and vimentin and negative for cytokeratins, SMA, CD34, CD117/c-kit and S100. On the basis of histologic and immunohistochemical features, a diagnosis of mesenteric paraganglioma was made. The operative and postoperative courses were unremarkable, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day 7. She was doing well 1 year after the surgery with no signs of recurrence. Extra-adrenal paragangliomas most commonly develop adjacent to the aorta, particularly the area corresponding to the organ of Zuckerkandl. Mesenteric paraganglioma, as in our case, is extremely rare; only 11 cases have been reported in the literature. We herein discuss the clinical findings of these cases.

Systematic review of phaeochromocytoma in pregnancy

Background

Phaeochromocytoma in pregnancy is a rare and potentially dangerous situation for mother and fetus. This review aimed to assess current mortality rates and how medical and surgical management affect these.

Methods

Articles in English published between 2000 and 2011 were obtained from a MEDLINE search. Eligible publications presented women diagnosed with phaeochromocytoma in the antenatal or immediate postnatal period, and reported management and outcomes.

Results

A total of 135 reports were identified. After applying inclusion criteria, 77 pregnancies involving 78 fetuses were analysed. Fetal and maternal mortality rates were 17 per cent (13 of 78) and 8 per cent (6 of 77) respectively. Better outcomes were achieved when the diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma was made in the antenatal period than when it was made during labour or immediately postpartum (survival of both mother and fetus(es) in 48 of 56 versus 12 of 21 respectively; P = 0·012). When the diagnosis was made before 23 weeks' gestation, there was no difference in outcomes when phaeochromocytoma surgery was carried out in the second trimester, compared with when it was postponed to the third trimester or after delivery (fetal death 2 of 18 versus 2 of 8 respectively; P = 0·563).

Conclusion

This review, although limited by the rarity of the condition and level of available evidence, demonstrated that survival rates are improved if the diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma can be established antenatally. With diagnosis before 23 weeks' gestation, no definite advantage of proceeding with tumour removal during the second trimester could be demonstrated.

Paraganglioma mimicking adrenal incidentaloma

Paragangliomas can be confused with adrenal incidentalomas because of their proximity to the adrenal glands. A 71-year-old man presented with left-sided abdominal pain. A computed tomography scan showed a large cystic mass with a solid component arising from the left adrenal gland (Figure 1).