Pheochromocytoma associated with cyanotic congenital heart disease

Catecholamine-Secreting Tumors in Pediatric Patients With Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease

Catecholamine-secreting tumors are rare among the pediatric population but are increasingly being reported in children with sustained hypoxia secondary to cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD). With this review, we report the clinical characteristics of these tumors in children with CCHD. The articles included in the present review were identified using PubMed through February 2019. A manual search of the references retrieved from relevant articles was also performed. Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) in children are commonly associated with high-risk germline or somatic mutations. There is evidently a higher risk of tumorigenesis in children with CCHD as compared with the general pediatric population, even in the absence of susceptible gene mutations. This is due to molecular mechanisms involving the aberrant activation of hypoxia-response elements, likely secondary to sustained hypoxemia, resulting in tumorigenesis. Due to overlapping symptoms with CCHD, the diagnosis of PPGL may be delayed or missed in these patients. We studied all previously reported PPGL cases in children with CCHD and reviewed phenotypic and biochemical features to assess for contributing factors in tumorigenesis. Larger studies are needed to help determine other potential predisposing factors and to establish screening guidelines in this high-risk population. A delay in diagnosis of the PPGL tumors can lead to exacerbation of cardiac failure, and therefore early diagnosis and intervention may provide better outcomes in these patients, necessitating the need for regular surveillance. We recommend routine biochemical screening in patients with sustained hypoxia secondary to CCHD.

Abdominal imaging findings in adult patients with Fontan circulation

Abstract

The Fontan procedures, designed to treat paediatric patients with functional single ventricles, have markedly improved the patient’s survival into adulthood. The physiology of the Fontan circuit inevitably increases systemic venous pressure, which may lead to multi-system organ failure in the long-term follow-up. Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) can progress to liver cirrhosis with signs of portal hypertension. Focal nodular hyperplasia-like nodules commonly develop in FALD. Imaging surveillance is often performed to monitor the progression of FALD and to detect hepatocellular carcinoma, which infrequently develops in FALD. Other abdominal abnormalities in post-Fontan patients include protein losing enteropathy and pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma. Given that these abdominal abnormalities are critical for patient management, it is important for radiologists to become familiar with the abdominal abnormalities that are common in post-Fontan patients on cross-sectional imaging.

Teaching points

• Fontan procedure for functional single ventricle has improved patient survival into adulthood.

• Radiologists should be familiar with unique imaging findings of Fontan-associated liver disease.

• Focal nodular hyperplasia-like nodules commonly develop in Fontan-associated liver disease.

• Hepatocellular carcinoma, protein-losing enteropathy, pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma may develop.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s13244-018-0609-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Tetralogy of Fallot and pheochromocytoma in a situs inversus totalis: An unusual association

Introduction: Situs inversus totalis is an uncommon anomaly which exist a complete transposition of organs and it’s occasionally associated with congenital heart diseases, such as tetralogy of fallot. Pheochromocytoma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor with an annual incidence of 2-8 cases per million people and for years has been studied its relationship with the hypoxic pathway.

Case Report: A 29 year old male with a history of tetralogy of fallot corrected at 10 years and situs inversus totalis. He was admitted to hospital with a progressive story of four months of constipation, palpitations, headache, dyspnea and sweating. Physical examination revealed a thinned man with peripheral cyanosis, clubbing and signs of decompensated congestive heart failure as hepatomegaly, legs edema, multifocal systodiastolic murmurs, abdominal distension and jugular venous distention. The echocardiogram shows severe right ventricular dysfunction and severe pulmonary hypertension. Furthermore, abdominal computed tomography shows right adrenal mass. Elevated metanephrines and catecholamines confirmed the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. Surgical removal is decided and preoperative management begins with alpha-adrenergic blockade, however the patient had a hemodynamic decompensation with an unfavorable evolution.

Discussion: In conclusion, there are few reports of cyanotic congenital heart disease with pheochromocytoma. Several studies show a significant association between both of them due to chronic hypoxia leads sustained hyperresponsiveness in adrenal medulla and it would cause the tumor. Special preoperative management of pheochromocytoma is recommended when there underlying heart disease and congestive heart failure. We present the first international report of tetralogy of fallot and pheochromocytoma in a patient with situs inversus totalis.

Pheochromocytoma complicated by cyanotic congenital heart disease: a case report

Coincidental cyanotic congenital heart disease and pheochromocytoma is uncommon, although some cases have been reported. We describe a girl aged 15 yr and 11 mo with pheochromocytoma and tricuspid atresia treated by performing the Fontan surgery. The patient did not have any specific symptoms of syndrome related to pheochromoytoma or a family history of pheochromocytoma. During cardiac catheterization, her blood pressure increased markedly, and an α-blocker was administered. Catecholamine hypersecretion was observed in the blood and urine, and abdominal computed tomography revealed a tumor in the right adrenal gland. Scintigraphy showed marked accumulation of (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine in the tumor, which led to a diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. We did not detect any germline mutations in the RET, VHL, SDHB, SDHD, TMEM127, or MAX genes. This patient had experienced mild systemic hypoxia since birth, which may have contributed to the development of pheochromocytoma.

Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma in cyanotic congenital heart disease

CONTEXT

Aberrant cellular oxygen sensing is a leading theory for development of pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and paraganglioma (PGL).

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that chronic hypoxia in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease (CCHD) increases the risk for PHEO-PGL.

DESIGN/SETTING/PARTICIPANTS

We investigated the association between CCHD and PHEO-PGL with two complementary studies: study 1) an international consortium was established to identify congenital heart disease (CHD) patients with a PHEO-PGL diagnosis confirmed by pathology or biochemistry and imaging; study 2) the 2000-2009 Nationwide Inpatient Survey, a nationally representative discharge database, was used to determine population-based cross-sectional PHEO-PGL frequency in hospitalized CCHD patients compared with noncyanotic CHD and those without CHD using multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, and genetic PHEO-PGL syndromes.

RESULTS

In study 1, we identified 20 PHEO-PGL cases, of which 18 had CCHD. Most presented with cardiovascular or psychiatric symptoms. Median cyanosis duration for the CCHD PHEO-PGL cases was 20 years (range 1-57 y). Cases were young at diagnosis (median 31.5 y, range 15-57 y) and 7 of 18 had multiple tumors (two bilateral PHEO; six multifocal or recurrent PGL), whereas 11 had single tumors (seven PHEO; four PGL). PGLs were abdominal (13 of 17) or head/neck (4 of 17). Cases displayed a noradrenergic biochemical phenotype similar to reported hypoxia-related PHEO-PGL genetic syndromes but without clinical signs of such syndromes. In study 2, hospitalized CCHD patients had an increased likelihood of PHEO-PGL (adjusted odds ratio 6.0, 95% confidence interval 2.6-13.7, P < .0001) compared with those without CHD; patients with noncyanotic CHD had no increased risk (odds ratio 0.9, P = .48).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a strong link between CCHD and PHEO-PGL. Whether these rare diseases coassociate due to hypoxic stress, common genetic or developmental factors, or some combination requires further investigation.