Case reportRetroperitoneal paraganglioma-Is pre operative embolization useful?

•A rare type of retroperineal malignant tumour is presented.•The treatment approach is on debate, the role for the pre operative embolization is not clear.•A small literature review was performed.

IntroductionParagangliomas (PG) are rare tumors derived from chromaffin cells that are located outside the adrenal gland and are capable of producing catecholamines. The treatment is based on a surgical resection, and there is controversy regarding the usefulness of previously carrying out an embolization and what is the most adequate surgical approach.Clinical caseWe will present a 17-year-old woman with a retroperitoneal tumour in contact with the aorta and the inferior vena cava, treated with embolization prior to the surgical resection via laparotomy.DiscussionThe PG tumors are very infrequent and originate in the extra-adrenal chromaffin cells that exist in the vicinity of the components of the autonomic nervous system. Most of them (86%) produce catecholamines, are unique, sporadic, benign and more frequent in middle-aged women. Since they are radioresistant tumors, the only possibility for a cure is by a complete surgical excision. The preoperative embolization has been described mainly as the treatment of cervical PG, although its use in abdominal PG is more controversial and is not done in a systematic manner.ConclusionWe can conclude that the embolization of abdominal PG is not free of risks and that it has not been demonstrated that it significantly reduces the peri-operative bleeding or the surgical time. Probably, the embolization should be reserved for intensively hypervascularized and larger PGs.