Multimodality evaluation of cardiac paraganglioma

Clin Nucl Med. 2012 Jun;37(6):599-601. doi: 10.1097/RLU.0b013e3182485204.

Abstract

We report 2 rare cases of primary cardiac paraganglioma demonstrated with multimodality imaging. Both a 46-year-old woman who presented with hypertension (case 1) and a 46-year-old woman without any symptoms (case 2) had mediastinal tumors depicted by CT and MRI. Both cases showed intense focal uptakes in the tumors with iodine-123-meta-iodobenzylguanidine SPECT. Case 2 also underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and revealed a focal uptake. CT angiography detected the arterial feeder and venous drainages, information that was useful for the operation. After surgical removal, pathology confirmed primary cardiac paraganglioma in both cases. 18F-FDG PET/CT was also useful in ruling out residual or recurrent tumors.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Diagnostic Imaging*
  • Female
  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18
  • Heart*
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Paraganglioma / diagnosis*
  • Paraganglioma / pathology
  • Paraganglioma / physiopathology

Substances

  • Fluorodeoxyglucose F18