Cardiac Paraganglioma.

BACKGROUND

Cardiac paragangliomas are rare neuroendocrine tumors that can present with catecholaminergic symptoms or be discovered incidentally. Multimodality imaging and genetic testing are central to diagnosis and management.

CASE SUMMARY: A 76-year-old woman with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation and recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding underwent preprocedural imaging with cardiac computed tomography angiography for left atrial appendage occlusion, which revealed a large mass near the ascending aorta encasing the proximal right coronary artery. Surgical resection of the mass was performed. Histopathology confirmed the presence of paraganglioma. Genetic analysis identified a hereditary gene mutation.

DISCUSSION: Cardiac paragangliomas are rare tumors that require a high index of suspicion. This case demonstrates the diagnostic value of advanced imaging in cardiac tumors and illustrates the role of genetic testing in identifying heritable paraganglioma syndromes.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGES: Multimodality imaging is important in the diagnosis of cardiac masses. Surgical resection is the primary treatment for cardiac paragangliomas.