A Case of Atypical Retroperitonealk Paraganglioma: Fatal paroxysmal adrenergic crisis and geart failure after sonographically guided biopsy of unsuspected paraganglioma.

Kang, Sung Koo; Lee, Jong Min; Yoon, Sung Ro; Kim, Seok Young; Moon, Jin Sung; Kim, Hye Soo; Lee, Young Jae; Bae, Hye Kyung; Lee, Hye Kyung; Kim, Hyun

Case Report

Journal of Korean Endocrine Society 1998;13(2):280-287.
Published online January 1, 2001.

A Case of Atypical Retroperitonealk Paraganglioma: Fatal paroxysmal adrenergic crisis and geart failure after sonographically guided biopsy of unsuspected paraganglioma.

Sung Koo Kang, Jong Min Lee, Sung Ro Yoon, Seok Young Kim, Jin Sung Moon, Hye Soo Kim, Young Jae Lee, Hye Kyung Bae, Hye Kyung Lee, Hyun Kim

Abstract

Paraganglioma is an extraadrenal pheochromocytoma originating from chromaffin ceIls distributed in sympathetic nervous systems. This tumor often can produce catecholamines and induce sustained or paroxysmal hypertension, with or without the typical symptams of headache, palpitation and sweating. Paraganglioma without the usual clinical manifestations is not easy to suspect and diagnose. Herein, we report a case of atypical retroperitoneal paraganglioma which was thought to be the pancreas tail mass and result in a paroxysmal adrenergic crisis and fatal dilated cardiomyopathy after the sonographically guided percutaneous biopsy. This rare case warns against the usual practice of percutaneous biopsy for the preoperative diagnosis of intraabdominal or retmperitoneal tumors.

Key Words: Paraganglioma, Guided percutaneous biopsy, Paroxysmal adrenergic crisis, Dilated cardiomyopathy