A Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approach to Paragangliomas of the Larynx

Abstract

The vascular nature of neuroendocrine tumors prevents preoperative pathological diagnosis. Radiologic features demonstrating a vascular mass with a dominant feeder vessel by the superior or inferior thyroid artery may help in the clinical diagnosis of paragangliomas of the larynx. Since paragangliomas are rarely malignant, a conservative surgical procedure should suffice.

Laryngeal paraganglioma in an irradiated neck

“…Histopathologically, they consist of two cell types – chief cells and sustentacular cells – in a Zellballen pattern which is typical, but not diagnostic, of paraganglioma. This pattern can also be found in carcinoid tumours, melanomas and medullary carcinomas of the thyroid 8 , 11 …”

Operative technique in laryngeal paraganglioma: A case series and literature review

“…Furthermore, FNE showed normal mucosal appearance with submucosal fullness. Identification of a major feeding vessel and the presence of synchronous somatostatin‐avid lesions further substantiates the diagnosis of paraganglioma compared to neuroendocrine carcinoma 21 …”

“…Identification of a major feeding vessel and the presence of synchronous somatostatin-avid lesions further substantiates the diagnosis of paraganglioma compared to neuroendocrine carcinoma. 21 Paragangliomas have distinctive imaging characteristics on contrast-enhanced CT/MRI and, like other neuroendocrine tumors, express somatostatin receptors that can be detected with octreotide scintigraphy. Incorporating multimodal cross-sectional and functional imaging techniques obviates the need for biopsy, allowing a presumptive preoperative diagnosis to be obtained.…”

Non-squamous cell carcinoma diseases of the larynx: clinical and imaging findings

“…14 It was reported that most of paragangliomas are seen as a supraglottic hypervasculary mass. 15 Zhu et al 16 analyzed 14 laryngeal neuroendocrine carcinomas. They reported that these tumors present as a submucosal mass with mostly supraglottic location.…”