Hypopharyngeal paraganglioma with a paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome: A case report

Abstract

Background: We report an extremely rare case of hypopharyngeal paraganglioma that was accompanied by a paraneoplastic neurologic syndrome (PNS). Methods: The clinical, radiological, and histopathologic findings of the patient are presented. Results: A 49-year-old woman presented with a history of progressive asthenia of the lower extremities persisting for 2 months. She also experienced numbness and sensory disturbance of the left lower limbs, 2 epileptic seizures, and constipation during the period. Clinical and radiological evaluations suggested the diagnosis of encephalomyelitis in combination with a left hypopharyngeal mass lesion. The patient underwent surgical excision of the lesion, which subsequently resolved her symptoms. Postoperative pathology was consistent with a paraganglioma. There was no evidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis of the tumor on recent follow-up. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, our patient represents the third reported case of hypopharyngeal paraganglioma, and the only one to have a paraneoplastic syndrome. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.