[Pheochromocytoma with chronic renal failure: a case report]

Pheochromocytoma is a catecholamine-secreting tumor which provokes various symptoms such as episodic headache, sweating and tachycardia. Meanwhile patients with hemodialysis have similar symptoms. Additionally patients with chronic renal failure often can not take the 24-hour urine collection test. Therefore it is said to be difficult to diagnose pheochromocytoma in patients with end stage renal disease. We present herein a case of a woman with hemodialysis discovered to have a pheochromocytoma. A 48-year-old female was admitted to our hospital due to paroxysmal hypertension during hemodialysis. Plasma dopamine and noradrenaline were slightly elevated. Computerized tomography revealed a 2 cm round mass at left adrenal gland. 131I-MIBG scintiscan detected that tumor at the same lesion. Under the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, she had taken alpha-adrenergic blocking agent for 4 weeks and left adrenalectomy was successfully performed.