Conservative management of extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma during pregnancy

Extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas are catecholamine-secreting tumors that arise from chromaffin cells of the paraganglion sympathetic system. All of the previously reported cases have described surgical resection during the antepartum period.

At 14 weeks of gestation, a multiparous patient was diagnosed with an extra-adrenal dopaminergic pheochromocytoma. A decision was made to delay surgical intervention until the postpartum period. Phenoxybenzamine, 10 mg per day, was subsequently started. At 35 + 2 weeks of gestation, the patient delivered a 2,600 g infant via an uncomplicated cesarean. Three weeks later, the extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma was removed, and she also underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and rectosigmoid resection with end-to-end colostomy.

Conservative management of dopaminergic-secreting extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas can result in favorable maternal and fetal outcomes.