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Clinical Anesthesiology II pp 253–265Cite as

An Undiagnosed Intraoperative Pheochromocytoma

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Abstract

A 35-year-old Caucasian female presented to the operating room for a left adrenalectomy. She initially presented to the emergency department with abdominal and left-sided shoulder pain. A CT scan showed a very large (18.0 × 17.3 × 21.1 cm) left adrenal mass, and she was scheduled for a left adrenalectomy. It was believed to be a benign neoplasm of adrenal origin per the surgical team. Intraoperatively, she experienced significant hypertension and tachycardia unresponsive to narcotics and deepening of anesthesia, eventually requiring antihypertensive medications. Almost immediately upon surgical removal, the hypertension and tachycardia improved. The patient was successfully extubated and was subsequently discharged a few days later. Further testing revealed it to be a pheochromocytoma with biologically aggressive behavior. This case demonstrates the importance of adequate preparation for the possibility of an undiagnosed pheochromocytoma when dealing with adrenal mass removals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    Bjorn Benjamin Jensen & Seth Herway

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  1. Bjorn Benjamin Jensen
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  2. Seth Herway
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, UCSD Medical Center, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA

    Jonathan L. Benumof

  2. Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, UCSD Medical Center, UCSD School of Medicine, San Diego, CA, USA

    Gerard R. Manecke

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Jensen, B.B., Herway, S. (2019). An Undiagnosed Intraoperative Pheochromocytoma. In: Benumof, J., Manecke, G. (eds) Clinical Anesthesiology II. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12365-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12365-9_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-12363-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-12365-9

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