Pheochromocytoma Presenting with Adrenal Necrosis due to Spontaneous Hemorrhage: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT

Pheochromocytomas are seldom and vascular neuroendocrine tumors-secreting catecholamines. They may be adrenal or extra-adrenal in origin. Symptoms are due to periodic catecholamine discharge into the vasculature, the mass effect of the lesion or adrenal insufficiency. There are various etiologies causing adrenal hemorrhage of which a mass lesion is one of the rarest. Adrenal hemorrhage occurring during pheochromocytoma is an extremely rare but life-threatening complication especially when it extends to the retroperitoneum. Case reports of adrenal hemorrhage associated with a mass lesion are not frequent in the literature. We report a case of adrenal hemorrhage causing necrosis of the mass which was biochemically documented to be pheochromocytoma and fully recovered after surgery.