Copyright (c) 2025 Revista médica de Panamá
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Introduction: Retroperitoneal paragangliomas (PGLs) are rare neoplasms. Together with pheochromocytomas, they account for 0.2% of all retroperitoneal malignancies and are included in the subset of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (FPGL) neuroendocrine tumors. Case presentation: We present the case of an 18-year-old healthy male patient who consulted the emergency department due to one day of gastrointestinal discomfort. The initial ultrasound examination incidentally revealed a retroperitoneal mass, which was subsequently characterized by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient underwent total resection of the lesion, which was histologically consistent with an extra-adrenal PGL.
Conclusion: The incidental finding of a retroperitoneal PGL by ultrasound is rare. Although this technique is not very sensitive for the study of retroperitoneal masses, in experienced hands it allows an approximation of the anatomical location, morphological characterization, and involvement of adjacent structures, as shown in this case.
