Emergency management of pheochromocytoma crisis in a pregnant woman with pheochromocytoma initially misdiagnosed as preeclampsia: a case report

Pheochromocytoma is one of the rare causes of gestational hypertension. This case report reviews and analyzes a case of atypical cystic pheochromocytoma with hemorrhage that presented at the onset of labor at 36 + 6 weeks of gestation. It describes the diagnostic and therapeutic process and discusses methods for hormone level testing and imaging examinations in pheochromocytoma in pregnancy, as well as the clinical manifestations and treatment strategies for pheochromocytoma under different pathophysiological conditions. This case highlights a clinical challenge: due to the unique nature of pregnancy, pheochromocytoma in pregnancy lacks specific symptoms. Consequently, there are challenges in the timely diagnosis of pheochromocytoma in pregnancy and in the treatment of pheochromocytoma crises.