PHAEOCHROMOCYTOMA-MANAGEMENT
SUMMARY
1. Treat both pheos and paragangliomas with laparoscopic surgery.
2. Partial adrenalectomies are advocated in these patients, thereby decreasing the morbidity associated with medical adrenal hormonal therapy.
3. Phenoxybenzamine is preferred for 2 weeks prior to surgery; and 3 days before surgery, add a beta-blocker.
4. Remember never to use the beta-blocker first, because it leads to unopposed alpha stimulation and potential for hypertensive crisis.
Reference(s)
Wilkinson, I., Furmedge, D. and Sinharay, R. (2017). Oxford handbook of clinical medicine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it on Amazon.
Feather, A., Randall, D. and Waterhouse, M. (2020). Kumar And Clark’s Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. S.L.: Elsevier Health Sciences. Get it on Amazon.
Hannaman, R. A., Bullock, L., Hatchell, C. A., & Yoffe, M. (2016). Internal medicine review core curriculum, 2017-2018. CO Springs, CO: MedStudy.
Therapeutic Guidelines. Melbourne: Therapeutic Guidelines Limited. https://www.tg.org.au [Accessed 2021].