Laparoscopic excision of retroperitoneal paraganglioma presenting with seizures

Abstract

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are rare in the pediatric population. We report a case of a 16-year-old male admitted to hospital due to intermittent generalized tonic-clonic seizures, with a recent history of hypertension being treated irregularly with unknown medication for the previous three months. An abdomen and pelvis contrast-enhanced multi-slice computed-tomography detected a solitary, solid tumor measuring 4.8 × 2.8 cm in the retroperitoneum located anterior to the inferior vena cava, just adjacent to the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery from the abdominal aorta, partially displacing the inferior vena cava. Paragangliomas usually require open surgery; laparoscopic surgery may be challenging in pediatric patients with paraganglioma, especially in the retroperitoneal location. Seizure without other neurological disease is a rare symptom in pediatric paraganglioma. This case emphasizes that paragangliomas presenting with seizures are extremely rare in the pediatric population. Moreover, laparoscopic surgery was conducted successfully in the present case.

Keywords

• Paraganglioma
• Laparoscopic surgery
• Seizure
• Pediatric paraganglioma