BACKGROUND Extra-adrenal paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum with metastasis to the vertebra is very rare. To our knowledge this is the first report of this kind of disease in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION Here, we present an oroginal case of paraganglioma of the retroperitoneum with metastasis to the abdominal vertebra in a 42-year-old female patient who was successfully treated by comp...

Zuckerkandl’s organ (ZK) is an extra adrenal para-ganglion and has the ability to express glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and transforming growth factor (TGF). It is also a source of dopamine and norepinephrine. In the present study, the neuroprotective and restorative potential of ZK was studied by transplanting it into the striatum of adult rats either before or after the i...

Pheochromocytomas and extra-adrenal paragangliomas are catecholamine-secreting tumors that rarely occur in pregnancy. The diagnosis of these tumors in pregnancy can be challenging given that many of the signs and symptoms are commonly attributed to preeclampsia or other more common diagnoses. Early diagnosis and appropriate management are essential in optimizing maternal and fetal outcomes. We ...

Iodinated meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scanning is a safe non-invasive method for locating extra-adrenal paragangliomas. However, a positive result is dependent on the presence of an uptake mechanism in the tumour. We report two cases of MIBG negative intracranial catecholamine secreting tumours successfully located by selective venous sampling and nuclear magnetic resonance scanning.

A morning serum cortisol level >13 mcg/dL reliably rules out adrenal insufficiency, and the test is easy and safe to perform. Because of low specificity, patients with a level of < or =13 mcg/dL need further evaluation with the cosyntropin stimulation test (CST). The 250 mcg CST requires intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) administration of cosyntropin and multiple blood draws; a normal resp...

6 New Technologies in Diabetes Mellitus Catecholamine-secreting tumors that arise from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla and the sympathetic ganglia are referred to as pheochromocytomas and extra-adrenal catecholamine-secreting paragangliomas (extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas), respectively. Because the tumors have similar clinical presentations and are treated with similar approaches, man...

Aminoglutethimide was introduced as an anticonvulsant drug in the U.S.A. in 1960. The occurrence of a number of side-effects, including several endocrine effects such as goitrogenesis, sexual precocity and virilization, led to its withdrawal. Further investigation indicated that the drug inhibited adrenal biosynthesis, particularly of aldosterone, cortisol and androgens, probably by interfering...

Pheochromocytoma is a tumor arising from neuroectodermal chromaffin tissues in the adrenal gland or extra-adrenal paraganglia (paragangliomas). The prevalence of the tumor is 0.1%-0.6% in the hypertensive population, of which 10%-20% are malignant. Pheochromocytoma produces, stores, and secretes catecholamines, as well as leads to hypertensive crisis, arrhythmia, angina, and acute myocardial in...