Malignant paraganglioma of the mesentery: a case report and review of literature

Paragangliomas represent only 10% of chromaffin tissue tumors and those arising from the mesentery seem to be a rare occurrence. We report a case of a 55 year old man in whom an abdominal mass was discovered fortuitously by ultrasonography during a routine health exam. He presented occasional heart palpitations and diaphoresis as well as a well-demarcated mass upon abdominal physical examination. CT scan revealed a solid polylobulated mass in the right lower quadrant. Exploration laparotomy revealed a voluminous multi-nodular tumoral mass, which contained hemorrhagic spots. Histopathological studies confirmed the presence of a paraganglioma. The excision of the mass as well as the surrounding intestine and mesentery also revealed two lymphatic metastases, the first among 14 documented cases to be described concerning mesenteric paragangliomas. One year follow up and CT scan revealed neither recurrence nor the presence of distant metastases.