후복막강에서 발생한 부신경절종

Abstract

Paragangliomas are rare tumors that arise from the extraadrenal chromaffin cells. We report here on a case of retroperitoneal paraganglioma in a 24-year-old young man. Abdomen CT and magnetic resonance imaging showed a hypervascular mass near the left ureter. He had not felt paroxysmal palpitation and his vital signs were within the normal range. An exploratory laparotomy revealed a 7.2×5.5 cm sized mass below the jejunum and near the aorta, and this mass had adhesion to the left ureter. It was histologically diagnosed with a paraganglioma after the surgical resection. Although there was an increase of blood pressure on palpation during surgery, the postoperative course was uneventful. When we consider the unusual locations and the associated operative risk, we should take care to rule out the possibility of a functional paraganglioma in the preoperative differential diagnosis of an abdominal mass. (J Korean Surg Soc 2008;75:434-438)