가성 장폐쇄로 발현한 부신경절종 1 예 = A Case of Paraganglioma Manifested as Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Phenochromocytoma is a catecholamine-secreting tumor, most of which grow at the adrenal gland. About 109p Of pheochromocytomas are detected at the extra-adrenal chromaffine tissues and are called paraganglioma. The main symptoms of pheochromacytoma include hypertension, headache, palpitation, and sweating. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, and vomiting are found in 20∼40% of patients with pheochromocytoma, but these are usually overlooked because of the severe, prominant cardiovascular symptoms.
Intestinal pseudo-obstruction without hypertension in pheochromocytoma is very rarely found. It is caused by the decreased motility of the intestine and the over-contraction of the intestinal sphincter, which are caused by the unbalanced activation of α-and β-adrenal receptors. It can be hypothesized that catecholamine receptors in the cardiovascular system are down-regulated or desensitized, but those in the intestine remain intact. We report herein a case of pheochromocytoma in which intestinal pseudo-obstruction was the main presenting clinical manifestation. Symptoms of intestinal pseudo-obstruction were completely relieved by administration of phenoxybenzamine, an α-receptor blocker, and excisional surgery.