Non-functioning paraganglioma occurring in the urinary bladder: A case report and review of the literature

Paraganglioma, also termed extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma, may be observed at the base of the skull and neck as well as within the mediastinum and periaortic region. The clinical symptoms of paraganglioma of the urinary bladder include intermittent hypertensive attacks, micturition, headaches and palpitations due to high catecholamine levels; these types of paragangliomas are extremely rare. However, certain bladder paragangliomas do not present with any of these symptoms; thus, surgeons are not pre-warned on how to prepare for their resection. Surgery to remove pheochromocytomas may therefore result in an intraoperative hypertensive crisis and increase the mortality rate. This infrequent type of paraganglioma is only recognized through histological examination following surgery. The current study reports the case of a 61-year-old male with urinary bladder paraganglioma. The patient presented with hypertension, which was controlled to within a normal range using diovan and norvasc treatment; in addition, the patient's blood pressure was not altered with urination or postural changes. The patient was not administered an α-blocking agent or a blood volume expander prior to the surgery, and during the partial cystectomy no hypertensive crisis occurred.