Contribution to the Diagnosis of Paragangliomas in the Area of Head andNeck

Overview

Summary:
Due to the relatively low incidence of paragangliomas the problem of their diagnosis isdiscussed relatively rarely. The submitted paper is divided into two parts: in the first one theclassification of chemodectomas in relation to site is mentioned and with regard to the clinicalpicture. In the second part the authors present different examination and diagnostic methods. Inaddition to the case-history and clinical picture the authors discuss the advantages and pitfalls ofimaging methods, such as ultrasonography angiography, CT, nuclear MR, whole-body scintigraphyusing meta-iodobenzylguanidine, and positron emission tomography. In conjunction with possibleendocrine activity of paragangliomas the authors mention examination of catecholamines and theirdegradation products.

Key words:
paragangliomas, classification, diagnosis, ultrasonography, angiography, CT, MRI,MIBG, PET, catecholamine screening.