Laparoscopic removal of a large pheochromocytoma-paraganglioma of the Zuckerkandl organ

Abstract

Paragangliomas represent 15 to 20% of all chromaffin tissue tumors. Most often, paragangliomas are located in the abdominal cavity along the large vessels — in the para-aortic region from the diaphragm to the aortic bifurcation. One of the most common extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas is the Zuckerkandl tumor, originating from the para-aortic accumulation of sympathetic tissue located in the area of the inferior mesenteric artery’s origine or in the zone of the aortic bifurcation itself. Due to the technical difficulty in performing laparoscopic removal of paragangliomas, conversion to laparotomy is frequent and reaches 80%. The article describes a clinical case of a patient suffering from this type of neoplasm, with diagnosis details and treatment by a successful radical laparoscopic intervention with a large chromaffinnoma located in a difficult anatomical zone removal.