Paraganglioma presenting as acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

Paragangliomas are neuroendocrine tumors that originate in the parasympathetic ganglia. These cells normally act as special chemoreceptors located along blood vessels, particularly near the carotid bodies and aortic bodies. Paragangliomas include asymptomatic chromaffin-negative tumors and chromaffin-positive tumors that secrete high amounts of catecholamines, mostly norepinephrine, plus epinephrine, causing corresponding symptoms. Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are estimated to occur in about 2–8 of 1 million persons per year and about 0.1% of hypertensive patients harbor a PPGL. And in approximately twenty percent of these tumors are paragangliomas (1).