Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. May 26, 2024; 12(15): 2672-2677
Published online May 26, 2024. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v12.i15.2672
Subclinical paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum: A case report
Li-Min Kang, Fa-Kun Yu, Fu-Wei Zhang, Lei Xu
Li-Min Kang, Fa-Kun Yu, Fu-Wei Zhang, Lei Xu, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Puer People's Hospital, Puer 665000, Yunnan Province, China
Author contributions: Kang LM, Yu FK and Zhang FW collected the clinical data; Kang LM and Xu L analyzed the data and wrote the paper.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Corresponding author: Li-Min Kang, MD, PhD, Deputy Chief Physician, Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Puer People's Hospital, No. 44 Zhenxing Street, Puer 665000, Yunnan Province, China. kanglimin2010@163.com
Received: February 22, 2024
Revised: March 15, 2024
Accepted: April 3, 2024
Published online: May 26, 2024
Processing time: 81 Days and 22.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Paraganglioma (PGL) located in the retroperitoneum presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment due to its hidden location, lack of specific symptoms in the early stages, and absence of distinctive manifestations on imaging.

CASE SUMMARY

A 56-year-old woman presented with a left upper abdominal mass discovered 1 wk ago during a physical examination. She did not have a history of smoking, alcohol consumption, or other harmful habits, no surgical procedures or infectious diseases, and had a 4-year history of hypertension. Upon admission, she did not exhibit fever, vomiting, or abdominal distension. Physical examination indicated mild percussion pain in the left upper abdomen, with no palpable enlargement of the liver or spleen. Laboratory tests and tumor markers showed no significant abnormalities. Enhanced computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the upper abdomen revealed a cystic solid mass in the left epigastrium measuring approximately 6.5 cm × 4.5 cm, with inhomogeneous enhancement in the arterial phase, closely associated with the lesser curvature of the stomach and the pancreas. The patient underwent laparoscopic resection of the retroperitoneal mass, which was successfully removed without tumor rupture. A 12-month postoperative follow-up period showed good recovery.

CONCLUSION

This case report details the successful laparoscopic resection of a retroperitoneal subclinical PGL, resulting in a good recovery observed at the 12-month follow-up. Interestingly, the patient also experienced unexpected cure of hypertensive disease.

Keywords: Paraganglioma; Retroperitoneal anatomy; Subclinical; Pheochromocytoma; Laparoscopy; Case report

Core Tip: Retroperitoneal subclinical paragangliomas (PGLs) are exceptionally uncommon. In this report, we present a case of PGL that was effectively managed by laparoscopic retroperitoneal lumpectomy. The patient showed excellent recovery at the 12-month postoperative follow-up and notably experienced resolution of her hypertensive condition. The management of this case serves as a valuable reference for addressing retroperitoneal PGLs.