Brown M J
Eur J Clin Invest. 1984 Feb;14(1):67-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1984.tb00706.x.
The fate of noradrenaline released from sympathetic endings differs from that of noradrenaline secreted directly into the bloodstream. This has been used to establish a single sample test for the exclusion of phaeochromocytoma in patients with borderline elevation of plasma noradrenaline concentration. This test is based on the measurement of the ratio in plasma of noradrenaline to its deaminated metabolite, dihydroxyphenylglycol (DHPG). The latter was shown to reflect mainly nervous release of noradrenaline and its plasma concentration was not increased during intravenous noradrenaline infusion. In seventeen phaeochromocytoma patients the ratio in plasma of noradrenaline to DHPG was greater than 2 (range 2.05-3.57); in nineteen non-phaeochromocytoma patients the reverse was found, the ratio of DHPG to noradrenaline being greater than 2 (range 2.08-2.74). Since DHPG can be measured simultaneously with noradrenaline, measurement of the plasma ratio of these two catechols may prove a simple method of differentiating phaeochromocytoma from nonphaeochromocytoma patients.
交感神经末梢释放的去甲肾上腺素的命运与直接分泌入血流的去甲肾上腺素不同。这一点已被用于建立一项单一标本检测方法，以排除血浆去甲肾上腺素浓度临界升高的患者是否患有嗜铬细胞瘤。该检测基于测定血浆中去甲肾上腺素与其脱氨基代谢产物二羟苯乙二醇（DHPG）的比值。结果表明，后者主要反映去甲肾上腺素的神经释放，在静脉输注去甲肾上腺素期间其血浆浓度并未升高。在17例嗜铬细胞瘤患者中，血浆去甲肾上腺素与DHPG的比值大于2（范围为2.05 - 3.57）；在19例非嗜铬细胞瘤患者中则相反，DHPG与去甲肾上腺素的比值大于2（范围为2.08 - 2.74）。由于DHPG可与去甲肾上腺素同时测定，因此检测这两种儿茶酚胺的血浆比值可能是一种区分嗜铬细胞瘤患者与非嗜铬细胞瘤患者的简单方法。
