Avasucular necrosis of pheochromocytoma followed by spontaneous remission.
Following an acute spontaneous hypertensive crisis and shock a patient with pheochromocytoma was found to have an exceedingly high catecholamine excretion rate. After this episode, the patient remained normotensive and urinary excretion of catecholamines returned to normal. During surgery, a large pheochromocytoma was found and removed that showed avascualr necrosis. In phenochromocytoma, a sudden and exceedingly high rate of catecholamine release may cause intense vasoconstriction both generally and within the tumor itself. In this patient, avascular tumor necrosis led to a spontaneous remission of clinical symptoms.
D000293:Adolescent; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008781:Methyltyrosines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009336:Necrosis; D009365:Neoplasm Regression, Spontaneous; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology*; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid / Q000652:urine
D008781:Methyltyrosines; D014642:Vanilmandelic Acid; D004837:Epinephrine