Mysterious Mass in the Retroperitonium Space: Case Report (Retroperitoneal Extra Adrenal Paraganglioma)

Extra- adrenal retroperitoneal paragangliomas are extremely rare neuroendocrine neoplasms with an incidence of 2-8 per million. They emanate from embryonic neural crest cells and are composed mainly of chromaffin cells located in the para- aortic sympathetic chain. It is a kind of pheochromocytoma which occurs on the outside of the adrenal gland. They synthesize, store and secrete catecholamines due to which they may present with symptoms of hypertension like headache, sweating and palpitation and non functional paraganglioma sometimes they may present with vague symptoms like pain abdomen and lump abdomen. Primary methods of pre-operative diagnosis include imaging techniques which also help in surgical planning and pre-operative preparation of the patient. We present a case of non- functional extra- adrenal retroperitoneal paraganglioma occurring in a 40-year-old male patient presenting with mass per abdomen. On Ultrasonongraphy, suspicion was towards a retroperitoneal mass of probable retroperitoneal cyst. CT is the investigation of choice. Surgical resection is main modality of treatment. Confirmation of the diagnosis is done histopathological examination and immunohistochemistry markers.