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].