[Postoperative profound hypoglycemia after resection of adrenaline-predominant pheochromocytoma]

A 54-year-old woman was scheduled for resection of pheochromocytoma. Anesthesia was maintained with general anesthesia combined with thoracic epidural anesthesia. The blood glucose decreased to 30 mg x dl(-1) about four hours after the tumor resection, despite intravenous administration of glucose at a rate of 15 g x hr(-1) with intermittent boluses of 5 g of glucose. The blood glucose levels increased over 100 mg x dl(-1) with intravenous administration of 15 g x hr(-1) glucose, 6 hours after tumor resection.