# Acute Spinal Cord Injury in the Setting of C6 Pathologic Fracture Secondary to Metastatic Paraganglioma: A Case Report and Review of Literature

## TL;DR

A rare case of a spinal injury caused by a metastatic tumor in a young man is reported, highlighting an unusual medical scenario.

## Contribution

This case report documents a rare instance of metastatic paraganglioma causing cervical spine fracture and spinal cord injury.

## Key findings

- A 25-year-old male developed a C6 pathologic fracture from metastatic paraganglioma.
- The patient experienced acute spinal cord injury and neurogenic shock requiring urgent treatment.
- Metastatic involvement of the cervical spine from paraganglioma is exceptionally uncommon.

## Abstract

Paragangliomas (PG) are rare extra-adrenal neuroendocrine tumors that arise from neural crest-derived chromaffin cells. Metastatic involvement of the spine, particularly in the cervical region, is exceptionally uncommon. Here, we present an exceedingly rare case of a 25-year-old male with metastatic spread from a recurrent functional aortocaval paraganglioma to the cervical spine, ultimately leading to a pathological fracture, acute spinal cord injury, and neurogenic shock requiring urgent intervention.