A Case of Mesenteric Paraganglioma

Kentaro Matsumoto, Keiji Hirata, Shuichi Kanemitsu, Satoshi Kawanami*, Takatoshi Aoki*, Naoki Nagata and Hideaki Itoh

Department of Surgery 1 and Department of Radiology*, University of Occupational and Environmental Health

An asymptomatic 77-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of an intraabdominal tumor which was incidentally found during a CT examination. The physical examination indicated a fist-sized abdominal mass in the lower abdomen. CT also revealed a well circumscribed heterogeneously enhanced tumor, measuring 5.6 cm in diameter, within the mid lower abdominal cavity. T2-weighted MRI showed a heterogeneous high intensity tumor with flow voids in a branch of the superior mesenteric artery around the tumor. Under the diagnosis of a mesenteric tumor, surgical resection was performed. The tumor had a smooth and well capsularized surface, and was located in the mesentery of the ileum. The resected specimen was an elastic hard tumor, 7×5.5 cm in diameter, 72 g in weight. No change in blood pressure was recorded during the surgery. The tumor was confirmed to be a paraganglioma by histological examination.

Key words
paraganglioma, mesentery

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Kentaro Matsumoto Department of Surgery 1, University of Occupational and Environmental Health
1-1 Iseigaoka, Yahata-nishi-ku, Kita-kyushu, 807-8555 JAPAN

Accepted
June 22, 2005

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