Paraganglioma of Urinary Bladder: A Case Report

The majority of bladder lesions are papillary and/or flat-appearing urothelial neoplasms. Neoplasms besides urothelial tumors are very rare. Paragangliomas are rare catecholamine-releasing tumors of sympathetic ganglion or chromaffin cell origin. Approximately 10% of paragangliomas occur in the non-adrenal region, of which 10% are seen in the bladder and constitute 0.05% of all bladder tumors. In a 42-year-old female patient, a 50x43 mm solid mass protruding into the lumen on the left anterolateral aspect of the bladder was observed with necrotic center and increased vascularity on the periphery. The specimens of the TUR material obtained from an external center and our hospital were examined by pathology and diagnosed as paraganglioma. Because of its rarity and confusion with urothelial carcinoma, paraganglioma should always be kept in mind when dealing with bladder tumors.