Introduction:

paragangliomas are neuroendocrine tumours derived from chromaffin cells. They are very rare entities that are typically located in the neck or at the base of the skull. We present the case of a para-aortic paraganglioma, an unusual location that has few reports in the literature.

Case report:

a 78-year-old woman with a retroperitoneal mass found incidentally during the preoperative study for a gynecological neoplasm. Given the suspicion of a gastrointestinal stromal tumour or a retroperitoneal schawnnoma, surgical removal of it was indicated. Intraoperatively, a highly vascularized mass adhered to the anterior face of the aorta was observed, whose resection caused a hypertensive crisis and tachycardia associated with hemodynamic instability, which subsided after completing the exeresis. The subsequent anatomopathological study confirmed the intraoperative diagnostic suspicion of paraaortic paraganglioma.

Discussion:

paragangliomas located in the abdomen are usually catecholamine producers and can develop adrenergic symptoms spontaneously or induced by drugs, exercise, or surgical manipulation, as occurred in our case. An accurate diagnosis is the key to planning an appropriate treatment that allows reducing possible complications in this type of patient.

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