Primary pulmonary paraganglioma: report of a case and review of the literature.

A case of primary paraganglioma of the lung in a 63-year-old woman is presented. The tumor arose from a segmental pulmonary artery and had typical epithelioid cell nests in a "Zellballen" pattern surrounded by reticulum. An electron microscopic study revealed cytoplasmic neurosecretory granules. As in eight previously reported cases, in the English literature, the tumor was benign. The tumor has occurred in seven women and two men with an age range of 43 to 69 years. All patients were asymptomatic, and the diagnosis has never been made prior to operation.