Takotsubo syndrome and pheochromocytoma: an insidious combination

Pheochromocytoma is a rare adrenal tumor characterized by the secretion of catecholamines and vasoactive peptides. It can cause a catecholaminergic storm and lead to acute coronary syndromes. We present the case of a 53-year-old man, without any medical history, who arrived to the hospital following...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Monaldi archives for chest disease 2021-03, Vol.91 (3)
Hauptverfasser: Maffè, Stefano, Dellavesa, Pierfranco, Paffoni, Paola, Bergamasco, Luca, Arrondini, Marisa, Valentini, Stefano, Facchini, Emanuela, Prenna, Eleonora, Baduena, Lara, Careri, Giulia, Franchetti Pardo, Nicolò, Parravicini, Umberto
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Pheochromocytoma is a rare adrenal tumor characterized by the secretion of catecholamines and vasoactive peptides. It can cause a catecholaminergic storm and lead to acute coronary syndromes. We present the case of a 53-year-old man, without any medical history, who arrived to the hospital following a spinal trauma due a fall. He presents back and retrosternal pain, with a clinical status of acute pulmonary edema, sinus tachycardia with left bundle branch block, left ventricular apical ballooning with depressed systolic function. Blood tests show a very important increase of Troponin and transaminases. A contrast chest-abdomen CT highlighted a right adrenal solid mass, with a diameter of 78mm, partial capsular laceration, compression of the inferior vena cava and the hepatic parenchyma. The clinical condition of the patient rapidly worsens from a respiratory and hemodynamic point of view, with cardiogenic shock, anuria and sepsis, refractory to all the medical treatments, until the patient died. The autopsy confirmed that the abdominal mass was a pheochromocytoma, broken after the trauma suffered. The resulting catecholaminergic storm caused a myocardial ischemia with Takotsubo syndrome, with cardiogenic shock. This unfortunate case confirms the pheochromocytoma as important risk factor for the onset of Takotsubo syndrome, and the how dramatic and severe a catecholaminergic storm can be.
ISSN:1122-0643
2532-5264
DOI:10.4081/monaldi.2021.1711