[Peroperative circulatory arrest during excision of an unrecognized thoracic pheochromocytoma]

The authors present a case of thoracic phaeochromocytoma responsible for cardio-circulatory arrest during thoracotomy for mediastinal tumour. In such cases, hypertension must be controlled with phentolamine or sodium nitroprusside, cardiac arrhythmia with lignocaine, and collapse with volaemic expansion. The medical literature concerning thoracic phaeochromocytoma is briefly reviewed.