Pancreatic paraganglioma - a rare and dangerous entity. Vascular anatomy and impact on management

Pancreatic paragangliomas are extremely rare with less than 20 cases ever described in the world literature. There is no detailed report of the vascular anatomy in this entity and its possible impact on patient management. We present a case of large pancreatic head paraganlioma in a 53-year-old woman. The tumour had a predominant arterial blood supply via both the hepatic artery and the superior mesenteric artery. Complex inflow was complemented by supplementary branches from the right renal artery. The arteriovenous communications within the lesion represented the most dangerous aspect of excision and the tumour removal was accompanied with a considerable blood loss. After pancreaticoduodenectomy, patient experienced transient elevation of liver function tests with no other identifiable cause than a change in portal haemodynamics. It is advisable that the precise knowledge of vascular anatomy in pancreatic head paraganglioma should be obtained prior to any intervention.