Diagnosis and Treatment Of Patients With Pheochromocytoma

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Abstract
THE PATIENTS with pheochromocytoma offers the physician an opportunity to cure a potentially fatal disease. For this reason, pheochromocytoma has engendered great interest among physicians, but, unfortunately, the diagnosis is frequently missed with disastrous results. The purpose of this paper is to outline modern methods of management for this disorder as we review the course of 17 patients with pheochromocytoma. We also have included in our survey one patient with hypertension associated with bilateral adrenal medullary hyperplasia. Material Our patient group comprised ten men and eight women, ranging in age from 7 to 78 years, gathered at University Hospitals Medical Center in the last 23 years. Three patients were under the age of 14; one with paroxysmal hypertension was followed for almost five years before the diagnosis was made. The diagnosis was made preoperatively in 11 patients, at autopsy in 6, and in 1 at the time of operation.