NONFUNCTIONING MALIGNANT PARAGANGLIOMA OF THE POSTERIOR MEDIASTINUM WITH SPINAL-CORD COMPRESSION - A CASE-REPORT

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.