Sinonasal paraganglioma: a case report.

OBJECTIVE

To highlight the importance of a high index of suspicion and meticulous evaluation of a patient with bleeding sinonasal mass in the diagnosis of sinonasal paraganglioma.

METHOD: Case report of a 39-year-old female who presented with a bleeding lobulated left nasal mass necessitating multiple blood transfusions is presented.

RESULT: Diagnostic investigations revealed that the patient was HIV-positive (ELISA and Western blot) and a tumour histology of paraganglioma. She had a CD4+ count of 487 cells/mm3. The urinary vanillylmandelic acid assay and echocardiography were normal. Subsequently, she had complete tumour excision through a medial maxillectomy and has remained without a recurrence 12 months after.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first report in the world literature of sinonasal paraganglioma in a HIV-positive patient and the first reported case of sinonasal paraganglioma in Africa. It is, however, not clear from this report if the patient's HIV status preceded her development of the paraganglioma or not.