A case of mesenteric paraganglioma

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 5.6cm 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 x 5.5cm in diameter, 72g in weight. No change in blood pressure was recorded during the surgery. The tumor was confirmed to be a paraganglioma by histological examination.