CLINICAL AND SURGICAL DIVERSITY OF PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA

Abstract

We investigated the clinical, preoperative and surgical diversity of eleven patients operated for pheochromocyto-ma, which rises from adrenal medulla or other chromaffin cells and causes significant problems, primarily hypertension. This rare disease confronts us with intriguing problems in the diagnosis and surgical intervention because of its clinical diversity. We retrospectively reviewed eleven patients with pheochromocytoma who were operated at Kocaeli School of Medicine, Department of General Surgery between 1997-2004. The ages of seven female and three male patients were between 15 and 55. Headache, tachycardia and sweating were the most prominent presenting symptoms. Nine patients had high blood pressure. There was unilateral and single lesion in nine patients. One patient had a lesion at perihilar region of the left kidney along with the left adrenal mass. Another patient has bilateral and multiple lesions. We performed unilateral adrenalectomy in nine patients, unilateral adrenalectomy and excision of hilar lesion in one patient and bilateral adrenalectomy in one patient. Postoperative periods were uneventful. High blood pressures returned to normal in all patients except one.

Pheochromocytoma requires a detailed investigation because of its symptomatic and clinical diversity, meticulous exploration during surgery and a high level of collaboration between anesthetist and surgeon.