Pigmented cardiac paraganglioma

A pigmented left atrial paraganglioma was found at autopsy in a 40-year-old black man who died unexpectedly. The cause of death was ascribed to corona ry artery disease. The atrial mass was sharply demarcated and polypoid, mea sured 4 cm in greatest dimension, and had a cut surface that revealed dark red-brown soft tumor tissue. Histopathologically, the neoplasm exhibited a classic organoid clustering of cells (zellballen) with a prominent capillar y network. The chief cells contained a brown-black pigment with histochemic al characteristics of melanin. We report a case of pigmented cardiac paraga nglioma because of its rarity. To our knowledge, no mention has been made o f the presence of pigment in previously reported cases of cardiac paragangl iomas.