Abstract

Ganglioneuromas are a fully differentiated tumor that contains no immature elements. The majority of ganglioneuromas are diagnosed in patients older than 10 years and are most often located in the posterior mediastinum, followed by the retroperitoneum. The location of these tumors in the parapharyngeal region is extremely uncommon and there are only a few reports on the cytologic appearance of the tumor. We report a case of ganglioneuroma presenting in a parapharyngeal location in a 4 year-old boy, diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology. The smears revealed scattered large oval to polygonal cells with voluminous, granular cytoplasms. The nuclei were one to two in number and had a prominent nucleolus. Clusters of benign spindie-shaped cells were also present.

• Keywords: Ganglioneuroma;Parapharynx;Aspiration cytology