Abstract

Abstract We report an extremely rare case of gallbladder paraganglioma which was discovered incidentally, during a chest CT scan study of a 79-yr-old male for his underlying emphysema. He was asymptomatic with no abdominal pain, anorexia or jaundice. His abdominal CT scan showed a gallbladder mass which was intensely enhanced in the arterial phase. He underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. His gallbladder histopathology concluded a completely resected non-chromaffin paraganglioma. The source of this gallbladder paraganglioma is likely from the paraganglionic cells along the vagi fibres which innervate the gallbladder. Chronic hypoxia is likely the risk factor for his paraganglioma. Paraganglioma should be considered in the differential diagnosis when investigating a gallbladder mass, particularly in patients with a history of chronic airway disease.