An Unexpected Diagnosis of Femoral Paraganglioma: A Case Report

Abstract

Paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine neoplasms, commonly located in the head and neck. They are sometimes first found in the bone, especially when there are contributing factors such as trauma, which can make clinical diagnosis more challenging. In this reported case, a patient presented with a painful mass in the right thigh caused by trauma. During the procedure for resecting the right femoral mass, the patient’s blood pressure significantly increased upon touching the tumor. Subsequently, a biopsy of the right thigh femur and a whole-body contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) examination confirmed the diagnosis of a right femoral paraganglioma with metastasis to the right neck.