Hypopharyngeal paraganglioma: a case report.

Paragangliomas are neuroendocrine neoplasms that primarily afflict patients during the fourth and fifth decades of life. The majority of extra-adrenal paragangliomas arise in the head and neck region, notably from the carotid and aortic bodies, jugular bulb and tympanic plexus. Although one-fifth of all parapharyngeal neoplasms are paragangliomas, primary hypopharyngeal paraganglioma is relatively uncommon, only one other case having previously been documented by Filippin et al. (1989). We report a second case of hypopharyngeal paraganglioma in an 18-year-old male as seen in our center.