MALIGNANT PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA IN A CHILD: TREATMENT WITH A COMBINATION OF ALPHA‐ AND BETA‐ADRENERGIC BLOCKADE

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Abstract
Summary: A case of inoperable malignant pheochromocytoma in a 9‐year‐old girl is described. On admission to the hospital, the patient was in poor general condition with weight loss, hypertension, a considerable left heart hypertrophy and extremely high concentrations of noradrenaline in central venous blood and urine. Alpha‐adrenergic blockade with phentolamine was insufficient to improve her condition. When the beta‐adrenergic drug, propranolol, was added, a rapid reduction of blood pressure and heart size to normal values occurred with dramatic improvement of the general condition in spite of continued high urinary output of noradrenaline. It is concluded that the symptomatic treatment of pheochromocytoma may require both alpha‐ and beta‐adrenergic blocking drugs for adequate control of the clinical symptoms in this disease.