Pheochromocytoma presented with vertebral artery dissection

Pheochromocytoma may rarely cause arterial dissection. Here the authors report a patient with pheochromocytoma complicated with vertebral artery dissection (VAD) and stroke.

A 48-year-old man presented with probable diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Following premedication with methylprednisolone for coronary artery angiography, he had unstable hypertension. Three days later, he had right cerebellar and left occipital lobe infarction in association with VAD. Urinary cathecolamines and MR scan of the abdomen suggested a diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma, which was later histopathologically confirmed.

This case is interesting in that there is no previous report of the combination of pheochromocytoma, VAD, and stroke. Awareness of the atypical clinical presentations of this tumor is important for definitive treatment.