Abstract
Phenochromocytoma is usually discovered because of hypertension. Other diverse manifestations are: gastrointestinal complications, such as ileus, persistent constipation, intestinal ischemia and gastrointestinal bleeding.
We report a case of 72-year-old female with pheochromocytoma who had a complication of paralytic ileus. High catecholamine levels in blood and urine and a mass of hypodensity originating from the right adrenal gland on CT suggested a pheochromocytoma. She underwent emergency surgery because of paralytic ileus. It is postulated that the increasd blood catecholamines released from the pheochromocytoma caused a persistant vasoconstriction which resulted in widespread hemorrhagic necrosis of the intestines.
Six patients with pheochromocytoma accompanied by paralytic ileus were found in Japanese literatures. All cases were diagnosed as malignant pheochromocytoma and had multiple metastases.
