Tumor removal reversed depressed left ventricular wall motion in a patient with pheochromocytoma who presented with acute pulmonary edema and extraordinarily high plasma catecholamine levels.
Case Report (n=1)
Does tumor removal reverse left ventricular wall motion impairment in a patient with pheochromocytoma?
This case report demonstrates that left ventricular wall motion impairment caused by catecholamine crisis from pheochromocytoma can be reversed following tumor removal.
Excessive catecholamine levels can cause myocardial damage in experimental animals. Similar observations have been made in humans following autopsy for pheochromocytoma. However, whether catecholamine crises are reversible or not remains uncertain. We report here a case in which pheochromocytoma manifested as acute pulmonary edema during an operation. Serial echocardiograms revealed that the depressed motion of the left ventricular wall was reversed after tumor removal. The plasma catecholamine level was extraordinarily high during the episode of acute pulmonary edema, and it seems that catecholamines in high concentration can directly damage the myocardium.
Iga et al. (Sun,) conducted a case report in Pheochromocytoma with acute pulmonary edema and left ventricular wall motion impairment (n=1). Tumor removal was evaluated on Reversal of depressed motion of the left ventricular wall. Tumor removal reversed depressed left ventricular wall motion in a patient with pheochromocytoma who presented with acute pulmonary edema and extraordinarily high plasma catecholamine levels.
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