TY - JOUR
T1 - Pheochromocytoma mimicking an acute myocardial infarction
AU - Menke-Van Der Houven Van Oordt, C. W.
AU - Twickler, Th B.
AU - Van Asperdt, F. G.M.H.
AU - Ackermans, P.
AU - Timmers, H. J.L.M.
AU - Hermus, A. R.R.M.
N1 - Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - We report a 42-year-old female who presented with retrosternal pain, dyspnoea and nausea. Electrocardiography suggested a recent anterior myocardial infarction. However, emergency coronary angiography showed normal blood flow through all the coronary arteries. Paroxysmal hypertension raised the suspicion of a pheochromocytoma. Indeed, abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a mass in the left adrenal gland. Elevated levels of plasma and urine catecholamines supported the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Left adrenalectomy was performed without complications and pathological examination revealed a 5.5 cm pheochromocytoma. After surgery, all antihypertensive medication was discontinued and the blood pressure returned to normal within several days. Currently, the patient is asymptomatic, has normal catecholamine levels and the electrocardiographic signs of ischaemia have resolved entirely. This case illustrates that a rare clinical entity such as pheochromocytoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.
AB - We report a 42-year-old female who presented with retrosternal pain, dyspnoea and nausea. Electrocardiography suggested a recent anterior myocardial infarction. However, emergency coronary angiography showed normal blood flow through all the coronary arteries. Paroxysmal hypertension raised the suspicion of a pheochromocytoma. Indeed, abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a mass in the left adrenal gland. Elevated levels of plasma and urine catecholamines supported the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Left adrenalectomy was performed without complications and pathological examination revealed a 5.5 cm pheochromocytoma. After surgery, all antihypertensive medication was discontinued and the blood pressure returned to normal within several days. Currently, the patient is asymptomatic, has normal catecholamine levels and the electrocardiographic signs of ischaemia have resolved entirely. This case illustrates that a rare clinical entity such as pheochromocytoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome.
KW - Myocardial infarction
KW - Pheochromocytoma
KW - Q wave
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34848829549&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03085991
DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/bf03085991
M3 - Article
C2 - 17923879
SN - 1568-5888
VL - 15
SP - 248
EP - 251
JO - Netherlands heart journal
JF - Netherlands heart journal
IS - 7
ER -