Inferior laryngeal paraganglioma mimicking a primary thyroid tumor.
OBJECTIVE
To report an unusual case of inferior laryngeal paraganglioma that manifested as a thyroid neoplasm.


METHODS
A case report is presented, including ultra-sonographic, surgical, histologic, and immunohistochemical findings, and diagnostic and therapeutic strategies are discussed.


RESULTS
In a 33-year-old man with a mass in the left side of his neck, color Doppler ultrasonography revealed an extremely hypervascular lesion that appeared to arise in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Fine-needle aspiration was noncontributory because of bloody samples, but core biopsy specimens suggested a nonthyroidal neoplasm. At surgical intervention, a 3.5-cm mass was found immediately posterior to the left thyroid lobe, not involving the thyroid capsule. Because the mass could not be dissected free from the thyroid, performance of a left thyroid lobectomy and isthmectomy was necessary. The pathology specimen was a paraganglioma.


CONCLUSIONS
Paragangliomas may be sonographically similar to thyroid neoplasms and may be included in the differential diagnosis of a hypervascular thyroid mass.
Schmit
Grant D
GD
Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Gorman
Brian
B
van Heerden
Jon A
JA
Gharib
Hossein
H
D000328:Adult; D044963:Biopsy, Fine-Needle; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005682:Gadolinium; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009333:Neck / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
D005682:Gadolinium