Case Report: Catecholamine-Secreting Paraganglioma of Glomus Jugulare Region

A 43-year-old woman had clinical and biochemical evidence of a secreting paraganglioma of the glomus jugulare region. Catecholamine secretion was exacerbated during embolization of the tumor before surgery and resulted in a life-threatening vasomotor attack. Preoperatively, pharmacologic blockade of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of the medical sciences 1989-01, Vol.297 (1), p.46-48
Main Authors: Kremer, Richard, Michel, Rene P., Posner, Barry, Wang, N.-S., Lafond, Guy P., Crawhall, John C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Catecholamine
Medical sciences
Neurology
Paraganglioma
Tumors of the nervous system. Phacomatoses
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Summary:A 43-year-old woman had clinical and biochemical evidence of a secreting paraganglioma of the glomus jugulare region. Catecholamine secretion was exacerbated during embolization of the tumor before surgery and resulted in a life-threatening vasomotor attack. Preoperatively, pharmacologic blockade of excessive catecholamine secretion with prazocin controlled her blood pressure, tachycardia, and symptoms. The tumor was resected and its catecholamine content measured. This case is reported to stress the importance of adequate preoperative assessment of patients with paragangliomas of the head and neck. The extreme rarity of catecholamine-secreting tumors of this region should not lead us to underestimate the morbidity and mortality of such patients undergoing surgery or any other invasive procedure whether the diagnosis is confirmed or only suspected.
ISSN:0002-9629
1538-2990
DOI:10.1097/00000441-198901000-00011