Spinal paragangliomas: Surgical treatment and follow-up outcomes in eight cases

Paragangliomas are neuro-endocrine tumors originating from the adrenal gland. They are usually benign and nonfunctioning, rarely seen in central nervous system. More than 90% of central nervous system paragangliomas are manifested as carotid and glomus jugulare tumors. Spinal paragangliomas are quite rare. The study was conducted through retrospective analysis of the files of the patients who had undergone surgery with pre-diagnosis of spinal intradural tumor between 2011 and 2017 and diagnosed with paraganglioma. A total of 8 patients (4 females and 4 males) were included in the study. Mean age of the patients was 51.1 years (28–64). Time to admission was mean 6.5 months (3 weeks–24 months). Recurrence was not observed in 7 patients, 1 patient is being followed up due to residual tumor. Treatment may be achieved through recognizing malignant transformation in patients who were not diagnosed histopathologically. We consider that quality of life of the patients may be improved through this way.