Open AccessExtra‐Adrenal Pheochromocytoma Presenting with Life‐Threatening Ventricular Tachycardia: A Case Report
Author(s) -
Li WeiMing,
Huang ChunHsiung,
Su ChinMing,
Wu WenJeng,
Chou YiiHer,
Chai CheeYin
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
the kaohsiung journal of medical sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.439
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 2410-8650
pISSN - 1607-551X
DOI - 10.1016/s1607-551x(09)70268-2
Subject(s) - medicine , pheochromocytoma , vanillylmandelic acid , tachycardia , ventricular tachycardia , defibrillation , ganglioneuroma , abdominal pain , cardiology , anesthesia , neuroblastoma , homovanillic acid , receptor , biology , serotonin , genetics , cell culture
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.