Extraadrenal pheochromocytoma

During 35 years we operated on 44 patients with pheochromocytoma, 16 of them had extraadrenal tumors (36%). We operated on 8 men and 8 women. In 5 men there was primary extraadrenal tumor, the same in 7 women. In 3 men and in one woman we operated on recurrence of tumor on another site. Mean age of the whole group was 38.3 years, in patients with recurrence the mean age was 44 years. Time distance between primary tumor and relapse was 3 to 16 years. We operated on 6 tumors on the right side, 10 on the left side. Paragangliomas on the right side were localized as follows: three tumors were under the vena cava, one tumor was dispersed multifocally, two tumors were localized before the vena cava. On the left side there was the following distribution of tumors: two tumors beneath the bifurcation of the aorta, 5 tumors paraaortally, one tumor on the wall of the aorta in the region of renal arteries, three tumors were localized in the hilus of the kidney.