Pheochromocytoma may be associated with renal artery stenosis which con. tributes to the production of hypertension.l-11 This paper presents a classification of alterations in the renal artery associated with pheochromocytoma and discusses their significance.
CASE REPORTIn 1969 a 22 year old white male presented to Montefiore Hospital with hypertension and ataxia. Historical review disclosed successful resections of large left and right para-adrenal pheochromocytomas in 1959 and 1960. Admission physical examination revealed blood pressure of 210/150, bilateral papilledema, and severe right-sided ataxia. Urinary levels of catecholamines and vanillyl mandelic acid (VMA) were elevated. Lumbar puncture revealed clear spinal fluid with opening pressure of 40 cm of water.Aortography and selective renal arteriography demonstrated a smoothly contoured segmental stenosis of the mid-portion of the right renal artery and a &dquo;tumor stain&dquo; superior to the renal artery indicating recurrent pheochromocytoma (Fig. 1). At surgery the right renal artery was found to be compressed by fibrous adhesions which produced a measured pressure gradient of 15 cm of water. The renal artery was dissected free of adhesions, but, despite extensive search, the tumor was not located. Post-operatively the patient did not resume spontaneous respiration and expired.Postmortem findings were (1) a small round well-encapsulated, extraadrenal pheochromocytoma extending posterior to the right adrenal gland and inferior vena cava; (2) a second two cm tumor nodule immediately adjacent to the right renal artery producing minimal compression; (3) slight residual right renal artery narrowing but otherwise normal kidneys and renal vasculature; (4) a 6 x 7 cm right cerebellar cyst, which contained a 1 cm mural nodule demonstrated microscopically to be a hemangioma; (5) compression of the 4th ventricle with mild hydrocephalus; (6) marked right tonsillar herniation with severe compression of the medulla; (7) normal adrenals, thyroid, parathyroids, liver, lungs and pancreas. COMMENTS This case illustrates the occurrence of renal artery compression by both a contiguous extra-adrenal tumor nodule of pheochromocytoma and by fibrous From the