title: Contemporary surgical management of cardiac paragangliomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac paragangliomas are an extremely rare subset of chromaffin cell tumors that develop from neural crest cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between March 2004 and October 2010, 7 male patients from our two institutions who underwent surgical resection of cardiac paraganglioma were retrospectively reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 5 patients, paragangliomas originated from the roof of the left atrium, and in 2 patients, they originated from the aortic root. Hospital mortality was 14%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Complete surgical resection remains the mainstay of therapy and can be curative, but carries a significant risk of intraoperative bleeding and usually requires cardiopulmonary bypass and often complex resection techniques, including cardiac autotransplantation.
authors.affiliation: Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center, Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Basel
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramlawi
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Min P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Luis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Garcia-Morales
authors.forename: Shanda H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Blackmon
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Rice
authors.forename: Ara A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vaporciyan
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Reardon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D010236:Paraganglioma, Extra-Adrenal / Q000098:blood supply / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous