Mesenteric Paraganglioma-A Cyst in The Mist

Extraadrenal paraganglioma is rarely found in the mesentery. It accounts only for 5-10% of cases and may present incidentally as abdominal mass. We report a case of 30 year old male presented as mass per abdomen. A differential diagnosis of neurogenic tumor or cystic mesothelioma was considered based on CT-abdomen. Histopathological examination showed features of mesenteric paraganglioma and confirmed on immunohistochemistry. This case report highlighted several important key issues regarding diagnosis of paraganglioma, including malignant or metastatic potential, recurrence rate, pre and postoperative imaging study and lifelong follow-up of the patient.

Hamartoma and Benign Tumor-like Lesions

Pulmonary hamartomas are benign neoplasms comprised of various mesenchymal components. The presence of chondroid calcification (popcorn appearance) and/or macroscopic fat can be diagnostic of hamartoma. Very slow growth is an expected finding. Treatment of pulmonary hamartoma is usually conservative. Surgical resection can be considered if the CT findings are nondiagnostic, if biopsy is inconclusive, or if the lesion demonstrates rapid growth. Surgery should also be considered in patients with central lesions and postobstructive atelectasis or infection. Hamartomas account for the majority of benign lung neoplasms. Other benign neoplasms occurring in the lungs and airways include lipoma, chondroma, and leiomyoma and are very rare. If a pulmonary chondroma is diagnosed, additional investigation should be considered to exclude concurrent leiomyosarcoma and extraadrenal paraganglioma (Carney Triad).

Nonfunctional Retroperitoneal Paraganglioma: A Histopathological Surprise

ABSTRACT Paragangliomas are the tumors arising from chromaffin tissue which is distributed along the autonomic nervous system. Most of these tumors secrete and store catecholamines. They can be suspected by clinical symptoms and confirmed by biochemical tests. Retroperitoneal paraganglioma mostly arise from adrenal medulla and are also known as adrenal pheochromocytoma. About 10% of abdominal paragangliomas occur at extraadrenal locations and where they are known as extraadrenal paraganglioma or pheochromocytoma (EAP). Like their adrenal counterparts, most EAPs are functional tumors as they secrete and store catecholamines. Very few EAPs do not secrete clinically detectable amount of hormones and present themselves with the pressure symptoms related to their size. These nonfunctional EAPs mimic more commonly occurring tumors of the retroperitoneum and true diagnosis is made only after microscopic examination of the tumor tissue. We had a patient who was suspected to have a pancreatic tumor but found to have a nonfunctional primary EAP completely separate from the pancreas. How to cite this article Goel N, Gupta N, Nag HH, Saran RK, Mishra PK, Agarwal AK. Nonfunctional Retroperitoneal Paraganglioma: A Histopathological Surprise. World J Endocr Surg 2012;4(2):60-62.