BACKGROUND:

Ganglioneuromas are exceptional tumors. At present there is no consensus on treatment and so each case must be individualized.

CLINICAL CASE:

A 36-year-old man presented with an intermittent sensation of heaviness in the left renal fossa and ipsilateral flank of four-month progression. Abdominal ultrasound reported a hypoechoic mass adjacent to the left kidney at its upper portion, measuring 5 x 4 cm, with no calcifications. Non-contrast and contrast-enhanced abdominopelvic tomography identified an 8 x 5 cm left adrenal neoplasia. The patient was programmed for laparoscopic left adrenalectomy. During the procedure, a 9 x 8 cm adrenal neoplasia was found firmly adhered to the ipsilateral renal vein, and so the tumor was only partially resected. Patient progression was satisfactory, and he was released on postoperative day two. The pathology report described two fragments of tissue, together weighing 55 g, and separately measuring 5.5 x 4.2 cm and 4.5 x 2.8 cm. The histology study revealed a stroma composed of longitudinal and transversal Schwann cells that were irregularly intertwined. According to the histopathologic findings and immunohistochemical study, adrenal ganglioneuroma was diagnosed.

CONCLUSIONS:

Ganglioneuromas usually cause nonspecific symptoms, resulting in incidental diagnoses. After tumor resection, patients have excellent prognosis. The case of ganglioneuroma presented herein is the first to be reported in Mexico.

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