title: [The clonidine inhibition test: an aid in the diagnosis and postoperative therapeutic control in pheochromocytoma].
abstract: A clonidine-suppression test was carried out in 8 patients with arterial hypertension, raised urinary and plasma catecholamine levels and symptoms suggesting the presence of a pheochromocytoma. In 6 of the patients clonidine reduced the plasma catecholamine concentrations and no pathological findings were seen in the abdominal computed tomogram (CT). In 2 patients noradrenaline levels were excessively high and not lowered by clonidine; in one of these patients the plasma adrenaline concentration was also raised and this too could not be reduced with clonidine. A tumor was detectable in both patients using CT, in one case situated in the left adrenal, in the other extra-medullary. On operation both were found to be a pheochromocytoma. Peritoneal and intra-hepatic metastases were discovered during surgery in the case of the extramedullary localized tumor. The clonidine-suppression test was repeated postoperatively in both patients: it was normal in the case of the completely excised, intramedullary situated tumor but still pathological in the other. Thus the clonidine-suppression test is useful in the diagnosis and post-surgical assessment of pheochromocytoma.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D003000:Clonidine; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003000:Clonidine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine
vernacular_title: Der Clonidin-Hemmtest: eine Hilfe in der Diagnostik und postoperativen Therapiekontrolle beim Phäochromozytom.