Volume 183 - Issue 5
Potential pitfalls in the diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma
Author: Stan B Sidhu
Med J Aust 2005; 183 (5): 279. || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb07047.x
Published online: 5 September 2005
Published online: 5 September 2005
In reply: We thank Morton for his letter which highlights another group of patients in whom raised urinary noradrenaline levels exist in the absence of a phaeochromocytoma. His experience and our group of patients1 should serve as a note of caution when making the diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma. A combination of positive results of biochemical tests, along with results of anatomical and functional imaging, should serve to minimise false positive diagnoses.
References
- Harding JL, Yeh MW, Robinson BG, et al. Potential pitfalls in the diagnosis of phaeochromocytoma. Med J Aust 2005; 182: 637-639. 0_JFEJFBFJ