2018 Volume 57 Issue 2 Pages 125-128
Background : Paragangliomas are tumors that arise from extra-adrenal chromaffin cells, and occur in the systemic sympathetic ganglia. We report a case of paraganglioma around the abdominal aorta that was diagnosed by endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) cytology.
Case : A woman in her 70 s presented to us with a history of lower abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a tumor measuring 30 mm in diameter to the left of the aorta, which was suspected to be a malignant lymphoma. EUS-FNA cytology revealed epithelioid cells in discohesive three-dimensional clusters. The cells had unclear cell borders, thin nuclear membranes, and single nucleoli. Histological examination of the EUS-FNA specimens showed tumor cells proliferating around the vessels and cells that were rich in oxyphilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemistry revealed positive staining for chromogranin A and synaptophysin. Based on the findings, we made the diagnosis of paraganglioma.
Conclusion : EUS-FNA has been rapidly expanding as a useful examination technique that is minimally invasive and enables highly accurate histological diagnoses. This procedure allows collection of specimens from lesions that were otherwise inaccessible. We have reported a case of paraganglioma and the cytological/histological characteristics of this tumor, which should be helpful for differential diagnosis.
