Rjp. Noorda et al., NONFUNCTIONING MALIGNANT PARAGANGLIOMA OF THE POSTERIOR MEDIASTINUM WITH SPINAL-CORD COMPRESSION - A CASE-REPORT, Spine (Philadelphia, Pa. 1976), 21(14), 1996, pp. 1703-1709
Study Design. Case report and review of the literature. Objective. To
present a case with an uncommon nonfunctioning malignant paraganglioma
of the posterior mediastinum with compression of the spinal cord. An
update survey is given with respect to diagnostic, histopathologic, an
d therapeutic aspects of paragangliomas. Summary of Background Data. P
aragangliomas in the posterior mediastinum are uncommon and rarely may
produce spinal cord compression. To illustrate the low incidence, onl
y two cases of paraganglioma of the posterior mediastinum were reporte
d by the Mayo clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, during a 40-year period. M
ethod. Case report and review of the literature. Result. The diagnosis
was made by modern imaging techniques (computed tomography, magnetic
resonance imaging, and metaiodobenzylguanidine scan) and verified by c
omputed tomography guided per thoracic puncture. A wide local resectio
n was performed; the patient is disease-free 1 year after surgery. Con
clusion. The uncertainty of prognosis and possibility of local recurre
nce of paragangliomas even after a long period emphasizes the importan
ce of wide local surgical resection with or without adjuvant therapy a
nd makes long-term follow-up and continued surveillance of the patient
mandatory.