Primary Paravertebral Germ Cell Tumor Demonstrated by FDG PET/CT.

Extragonadal germ cell tumors are rare. Most of these tumors occur in the anterior mediastinum, retroperitoneum, pineal gland, or suprasellar region. Here, we present a case of a 29-year-old man with a paravertebral mass to the right of the T8 and T9 vertebral bodies on MRI and FDG PET/CT. The lesion exhibited intense FDG uptake and invaded the adjacent rib. Postoperative pathological findings confirmed the diagnosis of a germ cell tumor. This case cautions us that extragonadal germ cell tumors should be in the differential diagnostic spectrum of paravertebral lesions.