Functional paraganglioma

An incidental finding of retroperitoneal paraganglioma during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: a case report

Background

Extra-adrenal paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum is a very rare neoplasm arising from cells of the primitive neural crest. Although paragangliomas are considered benign and are often found incidentally, they have the potential to metastasize.

Case presentation

We report the case of a 68-year-old Caucasian woman with an incidental diagnosis of retroperitoneal paraganglioma that was discovered on chest computed tomography performed for high suspicion of coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia. The patient showed no metastasis and was successfully treated by complete surgical removal of the tumor.

Conclusion

As the diagnosis of paragangliomas is often delayed because of absent clinical symptoms, they represent a significant diagnostic challenge. Although surgery may exacerbate coronavirus disease 2019 infection, surgical resection of this tumor is prioritized, given its malignancy potential, and it must be performed as soon as no infection is detected.

Recurrent Primary Intrasellar Paraganglioma

We describe a case of an 81-year-old male presenting with bitemporal visual field defects and blurry vision in the right eye. The patient was found to have a recurrent primary paraganglioma in the sellar and suprasellar region requiring a repeat transsphenoidal endoscopic resection. Immunohistochemical examination confirmed paraganglioma with the classic zellballen appearance which stained positive for chromogranin, synaptophysin, and S-100 in the periphery. Paragangliomas (PGLs) in the sella turcica are a rare entity; only 19 cases have ever been reported in the literature. PGLs in the sellar region are often misdiagnosed or diagnosed in a delayed fashion. Earlier diagnosis of this locally aggressive tumor and meticulous debulking can prevent morbidity secondary to the tumor's compressive effects. This report highlights the effectiveness of surgical interventions in treatment of paragangliomas. More research is still needed to determine the need for adjuvant therapies such as radiation.

The Hypertensive Headache: a Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview and update on the common causes of headache attributed to arterial hypertension with a focus on secondary headache disorders. We will also highlight uncommon and recent findings in this area of research.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is some controversy in the relationship between chronic hypertension and headache, particularly migraine; recent research suggests that there may be a link, but it is likely complex and multifactorial. Many recent studies and case reports demonstrate that the pathophysiology underlying the onset of headache as it relates to abrupt rises in blood pressure seems to lie at the cellular level and mechanically becomes an issue with disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Although not a formally defined headache entity, carotid revascularization syndrome demonstrates this phenomenon and also has a recent set of proposed criteria that include headache and elevated blood pressure. This paper reviews the various etiologies of hypertensive headaches, mostly in regard to headache as a secondary symptom of elevated blood pressure. We will also discuss trends of hypertensive headache in pregnancy. Finally, we will touch on controversy that exists in relation to chronic hypertension and its causal relationship to headache as well as the relationship between hypertension and migraine.

Urology pertinent neuroendocrine tumors: focusing on renal pelvis, bladder, prostate located sympathetic functional paragangliomas

Urology pertinent neuroendocrine neoplasias are more and more driving to research attractive contributions mainly as regards the urinary tract paragangliomas, besides the prostate cancer neuroendocrine differentiation. About such visceral sympathetic paragangliomas, a considerable attention is aroused by those concerning the renal pelvis, urinary bladder and, particularly, the prostate gland. Essential catecholamine/adrenergic signal-mediated pathophysiological implications and outlined diagnostic approaches are here taken into consideration. Particularly, to reach an accurate functional diagnostic assessment, both plasma and urine catecholamine level tests are required together with ¹²³I or ¹³¹I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scan while ¹³¹I-, instead of ¹²³I-, labeled MIBG, proving to be also useful to targeted radionuclide therapy of sympathetic paragangliomas. Nevertheless, a thorough diagnostic confirmation should be obtained by a proper histologic/ immunohistochemical study, so that it respectively highlighting the typical "zellballen" cell setting and neuroendocrine tumor cell specific biomarkers such as chromogranin-A, synaptophysin, neuron-specific enolase. Open/laparoscopic/robot-assisted surgical procedures are performed under α1 (doxazosin, prazosin) - and β(propranolol)-adrenergic blockade to avoid the risk of an intraoperative adrenergic signal-triggered hypertensive crisis, what moreover may occur also during cystoscopy and biopsy in case of bladder or prostate paraganglioma. Given a conceivable likeness, about some adrenergic-mediated pathophysiological implications, between prostate paraganglioma and prostate cancer neuroendocrine transdifferentiation - although as regards two obviously different diseases - a reliable pathogenetic matter concerning prostate paraganglioma is requiring novel research approaches.