This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gaylis, H. Articles by Sneider, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Gaylis, H. Articles by Sneider, P.

Retroperitoneal Chemodectoma

H. Gaylis, Ch.M., F.R.C.S.(Eng.) C. Isaacson, M.B., B.Ch.(Rand), M.C.Path., D.C.P.(Univ. Lond.), D.Path.(R.C.P. & S.) ^* and P. Sneider, M.B., B.Ch.(Rand), D.M.R.D. (R.C.P. & S.), D.M.R.,(D) (Rand)

Departments of Surgery and Radiology, University of the Witwatersrand and Johannesburg General Hospital, South Africa

This excerpt was created in the absence of an abstract.

Tumours arising from chemoreceptor tissue, designated chemodectomas by Mulligan (1950), although uncommon, have been known for a long time. During the last decade they have been reported with increasing frequency largely because of the wider use of arteriography.

Chemoreceptor bodies, which are sensitive to changes in the pH and carbon dioxide tension of blood, are widely dispersed throughout the body. The best known is the carotid body situated at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery. Chemodectomas of the carotid body (carotid body tumours, non-chromaffinomas and potato tumours) have been known since Von Haller described the first case in 1743. Since then over 400 have been reported. Similar tumours have also been reported arising from chemoreceptor tissue elsewhere such as the glomus jugulare, the glomus intra-vagale, the aortic pulmonary body in the mediastinum and in the retroperitoneal tissues. Smetana and Scott (1951) reported a chemodectoma associated with the femoral artery.

Retroperitoneal chemodectomas are distinctly rare, only four having been reported up to 1598 (Byrne 1958). Marshall and Horne (1961) were able to collect six previously published cases. Gough (1963) described the first case of retroperitoneal chemodectoma in which arteriography had been of assistance in reaching a diagnosis. Harber (1964) reported a chemodectoma of multicentric origin arising both retroperitoneally and in the mediastinum. The mediastinal lesion was shown on thoracic aortography.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Cope, S. H. Greenberg, J. J. Vidal, and E. A. Cohen Nonfunctioning Nonchromaffin Paraganglioma of the Pancreas Arch Surg, September 1, 1974; 109(3): 440 - 442. [Abstract] [PDF]