Calvarial metastasis of a paraganglioma - case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Metastasis of a paraganglioma (PRG) to the calvarium is very rare. In this paper, the case of a 25-year-old male with metastasis of a PRG to the frontoparietal bone is described. CASE DESCRIPTION The patient presented with bulging on the left side of the head, headache, and weight loss. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a mass lesion in the left frontoparietal region that had destroyed both the external and internal table of the bone, extending under the skin and above the dura mater. After a frontoparietal craniotomy the tumor was removed totally. Histopathological examination revealed the "Zellballen," which are pathognomonic for a PRG. Systemic examination and radiological investigation revealed no primary tumor source. CONCLUSION Metastasis of a PRG to the calvarium is possible; radical removal of the tumor will provide a cure.