Much more than anxiety...

Joana Teixeira, Marta Almeida, Mariana Afonso, Armando Pinto
Author Information
  1. Joana Teixeira: Paediatrics Department, Hospital de Braga, Braga, Portugal.
  2. Marta Almeida: Paediatrics Department, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Oporto, Portugal.
  3. Mariana Afonso: Paediatrics Department, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Oporto, Portugal.
  4. Armando Pinto: Paediatrics Department, Instituto Português de Oncologia do Porto, Oporto, Portugal.

Abstract

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are rare neuroendocrine tumours in paediatric ages. We report a case of a 14-year-old girl referred to our oncology centre due to an abdominal mass. She had an 11-month history of paroxysmal episodes of headache, nausea, dizziness, palpitations and visual disturbances. Imaging studies showed a left paravertebral mass measuring 5.8 × 4.6 × 3.5 cm. Metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy revealed an abnormal hyperfixation on the left upper quadrant. Chromogranin A was elevated, as well as normetanephrine. The patient was submitted to surgery during which a connection between this mass and the adrenal gland was found. A diagnosis of pheochromocytoma was performed.

References

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MeSH Term

3-Iodobenzylguanidine
Abdomen
Adolescent
Adrenal Gland Neoplasms
Adrenal Glands
Anxiety
Chromogranin A
Diagnosis, Differential
Female
Humans
Normetanephrine
Paraganglioma
Pheochromocytoma
Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Chemicals

Chromogranin A
Normetanephrine
3-Iodobenzylguanidine

Word Cloud

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