Pheochromocytoma presenting as possible cardiomyopathy.

A case of pheochromocytoma presenting as a possible hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is reported. In a 67 years old woman without previous history of hypertension, the echocardiogram showed left ventricular concentric hypertrophy and systolic anterior movement of the mitral valve. The carotid pulse was deformed with a spike-and-dome pattern. The complex interactions between myocardial adrenergic receptors sites and catecholamines, and the relation between these substances and the pattern of cardiac hypertrophy are discussed.