Demonstration of metastases is the only way to diagnose malignancy. If the same type of neoplasm arose outside of the adrenal gland it would be called a paraganglioma. Sudden release of catecholamines may precipitate congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation, cerebral hemorrhage or death. However, pheochromocytomas are rare tumors, and therefore most hypertension is not caused by pheochromocytomas. Origin is neural crest.
Diagnosis is ganglioneuroma.
It is benign. Origin is neural crest. A ganglioneuroma is a benign tumor of neural crest origin that is completely differentiated. A tumor of neural crest origin that is intermediate in differentiation between neuroblastoma and ganglioneuroma are called ganglioneuroblastoma. A neuroblastoma is composed of dense sheets of small, round to fusiform cells with hyperchromatic nuclei and scanty cytoplasm and frequent mitoses.