Pheochromocytoma of the urinary bladder: a case report

We present a 66-year old female patient with pheochromocytoma of the urinary bladder. We performed transabdominal needle biopsy of the tumor without suspicion of pheochromocytoma because of her well-controlled blood pressure and no characteristic symptoms following administration of antihypertensive medication. Hypertensive crisis (260/130 mmHg) occurred just after the needle insertion. The diagnosis was pheochromocytoma. The norepinephrine level in the serum and her blood pressure normalized without antihypertensive medication after partial cystectomy. Pheochromocytoma should be suspected in cases of intramural bladder tumors, especially in a normotensive patients receiving antihypertensive medication.