Magnetic resonance imaging of a vaginal paraganglioma and related literature review

Purpose: To investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of paraganglioma (PGL). Materials and Methods: A 17-year-old girl was admitted to the present hospital with a palpable painless mass in her right vulva that gradually grew. The preoperative contrast enhanced MRI revealed an irregular lump with heterogeneous hyperintensity on T2-weighted images in the lower pole of the right labia majora, with heterogeneous hyperintensity on diffusion weighted image (DWI), and significantly enhanced hyperintensity after administration of contrast agent. Results: The patient underwent surgery and postoperative pathology confirmed the diagnosis of vaginal PGL. Discussion: Vaginal PGLs are rare and lack specific symptoms. For round or irregular masses within the vagina, which manifest with hyperintensity or with mixed signal on T2WI and DWI with well-defined boundaries, and obvious heterogeneous enhancement in contrast-enhanced MR scanning, PGL should be considered.