Bortnik Miriam, Occhetta Eraldo, Marino Paolo
Cardiology Division, Azienda Ospedaliera Maggiore della Carità, Novara, Italy.
J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). 2008 Aug;9(8):839-41. doi: 10.2459/JCM.0b013e3282f4c88e.
Pheochromocytoma is a rare endocrine tumor which can have a highly variable presentation related to increased catecholamine secretion. We report the case of a 74-year-old man in whom recurrent episodes of syncope due to orthostatic hypotension were the only clinical manifestations of this challenging entity. Diagnosis of pheochromocytoma was achieved by biochemical test samples and computed tomography scans. Surgical excision of the tumor resulted in clinical improvement with normalization of catecholamine concentrations and no more episodes of orthostatic hypotension during a follow-up of 24 months. Although rare, pheochromocytoma may frequently cause disorders of orthostatic tolerance; because of its meaningful implications, screening for this entity should be considered in case of recurrent syncopal episodes due to new-onset orthostatic hypotension.
嗜铬细胞瘤是一种罕见的内分泌肿瘤,其表现高度可变,与儿茶酚胺分泌增加有关。我们报告一例74岁男性病例,该患者因体位性低血压反复发作晕厥,而这是这个具有挑战性疾病的唯一临床表现。通过生化检测样本和计算机断层扫描确诊为嗜铬细胞瘤。手术切除肿瘤后,患者临床症状改善,儿茶酚胺浓度恢复正常,在24个月的随访期间未再出现体位性低血压发作。尽管罕见,但嗜铬细胞瘤可能经常导致体位性耐受性障碍;鉴于其重要影响,对于因新发体位性低血压导致反复晕厥发作的病例,应考虑筛查该疾病。