Published online Apr 6, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i10.2276
Peer-review started: December 26, 2022
First decision: January 20, 2023
Revised: January 29, 2023
Accepted: March 3, 2023
Article in press: March 3, 2023
Published online: April 6, 2023
Processing time: 94 Days and 2.7 Hours
Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors. We hereby report a case of a localized paraganglioma found in the abdominal cavity, and review the relevant literature to improve the understanding of this disease.
A 29-year-old Chinese female patient was referred to our hospital due to an abdominal mass found on physical examination. Imaging revealed a mass in the left upper abdomen, suggestive of either a benign stromal tumor or an ectopic accessory spleen. Laparoscopic radical resection was subsequently performed, and histopathological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of a paraganglioma. The patient was followed up 3 months post-operation, and reported good recovery with no metastasis.
Radical resection can effectively treat intra-abdominal paragangliomas, with few side effects and low recurrence risk. In addition, early and accurate diagnosis and timely intervention are essential for the prognosis of this disease.
Core Tip: Intraperitoneal paraganglioma is clinically rare without characteristic imaging findings, and many clinicians may never encounter it. However, clinicians must remain vigilant to suspect, identify, locate, and remove the tumor, as the associated symptoms and hypertension can be cured by surgical resection. If the tumor is not diagnosed and removed, there is a risk of death and heart disease. Therefore, due to the small number of cases, the lack of understanding of its clinical features and imaging signs, especially easy to miss diagnosis.