VOLUME 5 , ISSUE 1 ( January-March, 2019 ) > List of Articles
Kattani Shyamprasad Amod, Faizya Taskeen, KT Venkatesh Murthy, Hiremathada Sahajananda
Keywords : Catecholamines, Hypertension, Hypertensive crises, Pheochromocytoma
DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10045-00103
License: CC BY-NC 4.0
Published Online: 01-03-2019
Copyright Statement: Copyright © 2019; The Author(s).
Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) are rare neuroendocrine tumors originating from the chromaffin tissue.1 These tumors produce, store, and secrete catecholamines. Most PCCs produce both epinephrine and norepinephrine, with the percentage of secreted norepinephrine being greater than that secreted by the normal gland.2 The incidence of PCCs is 2 to 8 per 1 million populations per year. They are highly vascular and catecholamine-producing tumors. They are derived from the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system. It is estimated that 0.1% of all hypertensives may have neuroendocrine tumors like PCC. In these patients, usual presenting signs and symptoms are tachycardia, hypertension, etc.,3 which are the result of sympathetic stimulation. The literature also shows a high prevalence of familial and extra adrenal tumors in patients carrying germline mutations in genes.1 It may be as high as 50%.1 Surgery and anesthesia in these patients pose a high risk of cardiovascular complications from hypertensive crisis. Here, we report a case of PCC scheduled for surgical resection.