Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis

Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis

Not many patients are familiar with the term “Pheochromocytoma”; it refers to a very rare medical condition that is characterized by the presence of a tumor that secretes catecholamine; studies have shown that the origin of the tumor is the chromaffin cells. The tumors that are formed outside the patient’s adrenal gland are called paragangliomas or extra-adrenal pheochromocytomas. Because such tumors excessively secrete a substance called catecholamine, they can lead to the development of cardiac arrhythmias or to life-threatening (severe) hypertension. If the diagnosis of the presence of this type of medical condition is not set in the early stages of the disorder, the consequences can become disastrous (this type of clinical illness can be a fatal condition); the good news is that provided that this medical condition is diagnosed in due time (Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis is set in the early stages of the disease) the patient has chances of becoming cured of the condition.

Those who wonder about the origin of the clinical term “pheochromocytoma” should know that it basically refers to the color that is acquired by the tumor cells when they are stained with special chromium salts. Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis is achieved through various types of medical examinations; these therapeutic procedures are employed in order to determine beyond further doubts whether the patient is suffering from this medical condition or from another type of clinical illness; this clinical approach is generally applied in the case of patients who present the main signs and / or symptoms of this medical condition. Most patients who have been advised to undergo Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis presented the following manifestations: headache, flank pain, epigastric pain, weight loss, constipation, weakness, nausea, tremor, palpitations, hypertension, fever, pallor, neurofibromas, tremor, and so on. Your main medical prescriber can provide you with further information about the clinical reasons for which Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis can be employed.

Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis Description

The presence of Pheochromocytoma is taken into consideration in the case of any individual that presents the classic triad of clinical manifestations (sweating, headache and also heart palpitations), especially if it is accompanied by high levels of blood pressure. The first step of this medical procedure (Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis) is the measurement of hormones (like metanephrines and catecholamines) in a 24 hour collection of urine; another factor which can be analyzed in the patient’s blood levels of metanephrines. If these factors are higher more than 2 times the normal (healthy) level the patient will be asked to undergo special imaging tests (the next step of the Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis procedure) which enable the individual’s physician get a clear view of his or her adrenal glands. If these tests prove the existence of a mass either in or outside the adrenal gland, the patient may have to undergo surgery. If the imaging tests are not able to clearly determine that the mass is indeed functional or that it is directly related to the results of the initial tests, or in case the physician is unable to determine the presence of such a mass, further examinations can be performed. In such cases, the next step of the Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis procedure involves the patient’s undergoing a 123-1MIBG scan.

The most common imaging techniques that can be employed in this type of medical procedure include MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and also CT (computed tomography scan). While CT scans provides images of the interior of the patient’s organism after the computer analyses the differences of the way in which x-rays pass through the patient’s organism (these tests are performed at a clinic or at a hospital and they shouldn’t last more than a couple of minutes), MRI refers to a special scanning method that creates the images using magnets and radio waves (this type of test is also performed in a special medical center – a hospital; it lasts for about 30 minutes). 

Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis Related Medication

In most cases, the only medical substances that are employed during this clinical procedure (Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis) are the ones that the patient is administered before undergoing a certain type of body imaging technique. The importance of such medical substances should not be overlooked; for example, it is imperative for all patients to know that an individual who is suffering from an allergy to the contrast dye that he or she should be administered during the imaging medical procedures that are part of Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis), he or she will not be allowed to undergo that type of body imaging test.

Some medical products that can be sometimes associated with this type of clinical procedure are centrally acting anti-adrenergic agents. The most common drugs that have been included in this pharmaceutical category are Catapres-TTS (a drug that can be purchased under the generic name of Clonidine), Aldomet (Methyldopa), Tenex (Guanfacine), Duraclon (the generic name of this product is also Clonidine), Wytensin (Guanabenz), and so on.

Clonidine is mainly employed in the therapy of hypertension (a disorder characterized by abnormally high blood pressure levels). Before your PD will determine whether you are to start using this medication or not, he or she will want to check if you are suffering from severe coronary artery disease, a severe form of heart disorder, kidney disorder, stroke, and so on. If you have been prescribed the use of this medical product you should avoid consuming any type of alcoholic product, as this is known to increase some of the unpleasant side effects of this medication. As this medication can trigger severe withdrawal symptoms, you should avoid stopping your therapy course with Clonidine in an abrupt manner.

We ask all patients to take into consideration the fact that this article is only a supplement to your medical professional’s expertise as it cannot substitute it under any circumstances. As such, we strongly recommend all individuals to seek further information about the medical products which we have listed in this part of our presentation and also about other drugs which can be employed during Pheochromocytoma Diagnosis from a professional medical prescriber. Your local pharmacist, a nurse or your PD can assist you in this matter.