Perioperative management for resection of a malignant non-chromaffin paraganglioma of the bladder.

The perioperative management of a 39-year-old patient with a rare, catecholamine producing, non-chromaffin paraganglioma of the bladder is presented. Although the management of this patient was comparable with a patient with a phaeochromocytoma, this case was complicated by marked release of catecholamines, high requirements for vasodilator therapy preoperatively, the presence of a malignant tumour with metastases and an atypical presentation. Preoperatively the diagnosis was a non-metastatic bladder phaeochromocytoma and the blood pressure was controlled with prazosin, nifedipine and propranolol. Anaesthesia was induced with fentanyl, lidocaine, thiopentone and vecuronium and was maintained with nitrous oxide, isoflurane, fentanyl and vecuronium. The patient was haemodynamically stable throughout the operative and postoperative period.