Death following fiberoptic gastroscopy caused by pheochromocytoma

A 45-year-old woman was admitted to hospital for investigation of weight loss, sciatica and excess sweating. On examination, whe was found to have a tachycardia and the stigmata of von Recklinghausen's disease. Her investigations included a barium meal and gastroscopy. Following the gastroscopy, she developed ventricular tachycardia and died. An autopsy revealed a pheochromocytoma of the left adrenal gland.