A Rare Location and Presentation of Pheochromocytoma

J Endourol Case Rep. 2018 Jul 1;4(1):111-113. doi: 10.1089/cren.2018.0025. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Background: Pheochromocytomas typically are diagnosed in the adrenal gland and from the sympathetic nervous system. Bladder pheochromocytoma is a rare location for this tumor. Case Presentation: We describe a 67-year-old Afro Caribbean woman referred to our hospital for an asymptomatic bladder tumor. Preliminary transurethral resection revealed bladder pheochromocytoma. After a comprehensive endocrine evaluation, we performed a robot-assisted laparoscopic partial cystectomy with ureteral reimplantation. Conclusion: We present a rare case of bladder pheochromocytoma treated effectively with minimally invasive techniques. When confronted with a solid bladder mass, apart from the more common urothelial malignancies, a differential diagnosis of bladder pheochromocytoma should also be considered.

Keywords: bladder cancer; laparoscopic robot-assisted surgery; pheochromocytoma; rare tumor; transurethral bladder resection.