Pheochromocytoma Test Items

Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 17, 2024
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For pheochromocytoma, the usual tests include routine blood tests, routine urine tests, and biochemical examinations. Specific tests mainly involve collecting blood and urine catecholamine metabolites to help diagnose the condition. Furthermore, further localization diagnostics are conducted on the patient via abdominal ultrasound, as well as CT or MRI scans, to determine the specific location of the pheochromocytoma growth. Further examinations are conducted in preparation for subsequent surgery, with treatment generally recommended to be surgical. During treatment, antihypertensive drugs are used in conjunction to control blood pressure and maintain stability of the condition.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Is surgery necessary for pheochromocytoma?

For patients diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, it is recommended to undergo surgery as soon as possible. Complete surgical removal of the tumor often results in a very good therapeutic effect. Before surgery, some medications can be appropriately used for treatment. For example, it is advised to choose adrenergic receptor blockers, which can significantly improve the patient's condition. These can be taken orally before the operation to help gradually regulate blood pressure, or other medications such as calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and vasodilators may be used. Only through a combination of medication and surgery can satisfactory treatment results be achieved.

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How is pheochromocytoma diagnosed?

For the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma, further examinations need to be completed first. These examinations mainly include qualitative tests and localization tests. The qualitative tests are primarily conducted through laboratory tests to measure the levels of catecholamine-related metabolites to further determine the presence of the tumor. Localization tests are performed using abdominal ultrasound, abdominal CT, and, if necessary, high-resolution abdominal CT to pinpoint the location of the tumor. Once the qualitative and localization diagnostics are performed, it can be confirmed whether a pheochromocytoma exists and its specific location. Depending on the situation, surgery can be used to remove the tumor, in conjunction with pharmacological treatment.

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Neurosurgery
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How is pheochromocytoma treated?

Currently, for the treatment of pheochromocytoma, it is primarily important that once diagnosed with pheochromocytoma, one should promptly visit the local hospital to arrange surgical treatment as soon as possible. By surgically removing the pheochromocytoma, this prevents the excessive secretion of catecholamines, which can lead to a hypertensive crisis in patients. Therefore, clinically, after diagnosing and locating the pheochromocytoma, receiving surgical treatment can often achieve satisfactory therapeutic outcomes. Typically, appropriate preparations must be made before surgery. Generally, prior to the operation, it is crucial to actively administer medications such as alpha-adrenergic blockers, beta-adrenergic blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, vasodilators, and catecholamine synthesis inhibitors to effectively treat and stabilize blood pressure.

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Neurosurgery
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Is pheochromocytoma a cancer?

Pheochromocytoma is not a cancer. It is a special type of tumor tissue that usually originates from the neuroectodermal chromaffin tissue. It can secrete catecholamines. Based on the specific origins of the tumor cells, it can be divided into types such as parasympathetic, paraganglioma, sympathetic, and ganglioneuroma. Most often, it presents with long-term hypertension, which can cause damage to the heart, brain, and kidneys due to prolonged hypertension, or severe increases in blood pressure can lead to hypertensive brain hemorrhage, thereby endangering the patient's life. Early treatment is often necessary.

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Malignant manifestations of pheochromocytoma

For patients with pheochromocytoma, when malignant pheochromocytoma occurs and leads to hypertensive crisis, it often causes severe blood pressure increases, with blood pressure even reaching over 300 mmHg. At the same time, patients present with significant symptoms such as arrhythmia, tachycardia, palpitations, and shortness of breath. Some patients may also experience prominent chest pain, labored breathing, respiratory distress, and even marked sensations of urgency or anxiety, as well as a feeling of impending doom. Additionally, some patients may experience transient vascular constriction dysfunction due to severe hypertension, leading to cerebral hemorrhage.