Paraganglioma of the urinary bladder

A series of 24 previously unreported cases of paraganglioma involving the urinary bladder are described and compared with the 34 other neoplasms of this type reported or referred to in the literature. Bladder paragangliomas represent about 0.06% of all bladder tumors, affect males and females about equally, and occur over an age range of 11 to 78 years with a mean of about 41 years. The tumors most commonly affect the trigone region of the bladder in or near the ureteral orifices followed by location in the dome and lateral walls. A clinical triad consisting of hypertension, often paroxysmal in character, gross intermittent terminal hematuria, and micturitional attacks typical for the “pheochromocytoma syndrome” are seen in about half the cases in the combined series. The occurrence and implications of the various chromaffin‐staining reactions in these tumors are discussed in regard to tumor classification and nomenclature. The probable histogenesis of the tumor is also mentioned.