Nonsecretory Paraganglioma in Cavernous Sinus Masquerading as Meningioma

Paraganglioma in cavernous sinus is a rare entity often misdiagnosed as meningioma or schwannoma on radiology. The embryological origin, from cells of neural crest, does not explain the location per se. Because of its highly vascular nature and close proximity to the carotid artery, surgical excision is a challenge. We herein report the first case of cavernous sinus paraganglioma, without the characteristic "salt and pepper appearance," excised near completely by the subtemporal approach.

A 30-year-old woman without a history of any comorbid conditions, particularly hypertension, presented with a 6-month history of progressive headache and double vision. She exhibited upward gaze palsy and hypoesthesia over the right half of her face. There was no papilledema and proptosis. Radiologic imaging revealed an extra-axial T1-weighted isointense, T2-weighted hyperintense lesion with homogenous intense contrast uptake in right parasellar region encasing cavernous internal carotid artery. Furthermore, the tumor was extending along the superior orbital fissure. Suspecting a cavernous sinus meningioma, we performed near-total excision via a subtemporal approach. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and patient was discharged on fifth postoperative day. The histopathology and immunohistochemistry were consistent with paraganglioma. The patient underwent adjuvant radiotherapy and is under our outpatient follow-up.

Paraganglioma must be considered in the differential diagnosis of parasellar tumors, even when secretory symptoms are absent. The radiologic findings are obscure, and it is difficult to differentiate it from more common tumors of this region such as meningioma, schwannoma, and pituitary adenoma. Surgical excision followed by radiotherapy is the mainstay of management.