Spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage caused by extra-adrenal phaeochromocytoma.
We report an 18-year-old man who presented with a sudden onset of headache followed by left hemianopia. A brain CT scan showed intracerebral haemorrhage in the left frontoparietal area, but a cerebral angiogram and MRI revealed no vascular anomaly. The patient was managed conservatively and his headache and visual loss improved over time. Hypertension in the form of paroxysmal attacks led us to suspect phaeochromocytoma. Subsequently, the patient was diagnosed with an extra-adrenal phaeochromocytoma in the left para-aortic area following endocrinological evaluation, abdominal CT scan and (131)I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy. The patient presented here illustrates the importance of a careful search for a remediable cause of hypertension in children and young adults with spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage.
Department of Neurosurgery, Chonnam National University Hospital and Medical School, 8 Hak-dong, Dong-ku, Gwangju 501757, Korea.
Seong-Keun
SK
Park
Jung-Kil
JK
Lee
Sung-Pil
SP
Joo
Tae-Sun
TS
Kim
Jae-Hyoo
JH
Kim
Soo-Han
SH
Kim
Dong-Deuk
DD
Kwon
D000293:Adolescent; D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods