Vaskulárna medicína 2/2013

Pheochromocytoma

Pheochromocytoma is relatively rare clinical unit of high blood pressure diseases, but as secondary form of hypertension is very often definitely curative. That´s why soon and approptiate diagnosis of the disease is desirable. Pheochromocytoma is catecholamine secerning tumor, which generates from chromafine cells of adrenocortex, or from extraadrenal chromafine tissue (paraganglioma). Diagnosis is relatively not difficult, when thinking of the disease. Typical clinical features, catecholamine and their metabolits hyperproduction in urine and/or plasma is navigation to diagnosis. In case of 2-3 times greater production of these hormons, imaging methods like ultrasonography, CT scan, MR scan, 123 I-MIBG scan, PET, octreoscan are to provide. Adrenalectomy is the next step which exigent correct pre-, peri- and post-operative care.

Keywords: pheochromocytoma,paraganglioma, catecholamins, metanephrin, normetanephrin, diagnosis, therapy.