Key result
Undiagnosed pheochromocytoma triggers VF cardiac arrest and carotid dissection in a 46-year-old patient.
Why the study?
Some cases of ventricular arrhythmias have been described in pheochromocytoma patients without a formal link between arrhythmia and pheochromocytoma.
Case Report (n=1)
Pheochromocytoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation, as curative treatment can prevent arrhythmic recurrence.
Pheochromocytoma may warrant consideration in unexplained VF arrest; this case leaves open the need for validation in larger cohorts.
BACKGROUND: Pheochromocytoma is an endocrine tumour secreting catecholamines, most often revealed by clinical symptoms (headache, palpitations, diaphoresis, or resistant hypertension). Some cases of ventricular arrhythmias were described in the literature, without any formal link between arrhythmia and pheochromocytoma. CASE SUMMARY: We report a case of pheochromocytoma discovered after cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation in a 46-year-old patient. The diagnosis was suggested by clinical symptoms (headache, palpitation, and diaphoresis) and suspected on the abdominal computed tomography scan. The diagnosis was corroborated by metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy and finally confirmed by anatomopathological analysis of the operative specimen. The cerebral imaging showed a dissection of the left internal carotid artery and an intraparenchymal haematoma that might be secondary to a catecholaminergic discharge of phaeochromocytoma and severe hypertension. DISCUSSION: Since pheochromocytoma is accessible to curative treatment, its detection in case of cardiac arrest is essential to decrease the risk of arrhythmic recurrence.
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Lanot et al. (2021) conducted a case report in Pheochromocytoma presenting with ventricular fibrillation and carotid dissection (n=1). Pheochromocytoma was evaluated. A 46-year-old patient experienced cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation and a carotid dissection as a result of an undiagnosed pheochromocytoma.
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