Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences (Dec 2004)

Extra-Adrenal Pheochromocytoma Presenting with Life-Threatening Ventricular Tachycardia: A Case Report

  • Wei-Ming Li,
  • Chun-Hsiung Huang,
  • Chin-Ming Su,
  • Wen-Jeng Wu,
  • Yii-Her Chou

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1607-551x(09)70268-2
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 20, no. 12
pp. 612 – 615

Abstract

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Extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma develops in paraganglion chromaffin cells of the sympathetic nervous system. It probably represents at least 15% of adult and 30% of childhood pheochromocytomas. Although electrocardiographic abnormalities occur in up to 75% of patients with pheochromocytoma, there are only three other reported cases of pheochromocytoma that initially presented with ventricular tachycardia. In this report, we describe a 64-year-old woman with an abdominal para-aortic extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma who presented with pulseless ventricular tachycardia and needed electrical defibrillation initially to keep vital signs. The 24-hour urine vanillylmandelic acid was 35.8 mg. Computerized tomography showed a left retroperitoneal mass. The postoperative course was uneventful. Pheochromocytoma was proved by histologic study.

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