Korean J Urol.
1978 Apr;19(2):157-163.
Pheochromocytoma
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Urology, Yonsei University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- Pheochromocytomas are functionally active chromaffin tumors which may be located in the adrenal medulla or in other locations where sympathetic ganglia or chromaffin tissue are known to exist. Excessive perspiration or an orthostatic decrease in blood pressure or both in a hypertensive patient are prime clues to the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Also functioning pheochromocytomas have been diagnosed with much greater frequency in recent years because of the rapid increase in our knowledge of the clinical and pharmacological characteristics of the tumor. The catecholamines and their metabolites are excreted in the urine of patients with pheochromocytoma in abnormally large amounts. These findings may lead to more readily available techniques for the detection of this tumor in screening of large numbers of hypertensive patients. This is a report on 6 cases of pheochromocytoma admitted to Severance Hospital during the period from January 1970 to June 1976. The results are summarized briefly as follows: 1. Among the 6 cases of pheochromocytoma, the average age was 45 years. The ratio between male and female was 1 : 2. 2. Hypertension was sustained in 4 patients, and paroxysmal in 3. 3. All tumors were unilateral and found at left. One tumor was extraadrenal. 4. Symptoms consisted of headache, sweating, flushing of face, vomiting, palpitation and visual disturbance. 5. 24hrs urine catecholamine was elevated in 5 cases except one. 6. F.B.S. was elevated in 4 cases. 7. Intravenous pyelogram and presacral air insuffation revealed the tumors in 4 cases. 8. Only one case was associated with thyroid carcinoma. 9. Tumors ranged in size from 10gm upto 70 gm. The average weight was 38 gm. 10. As the anesthetic agents, penthrane was used in all cases.
