Objective To report the experiences using orthotopic heart transplantation （HTX） to treat a patient with primary cardiac pheochromocytoma （PCT）. Methods On June 2, 2005, a 48-year-old woman received orthotopic HTX because she suffered from cardiac PCT which can not be resected. The procedure for the recipient was uneventful. The aortic crossclamp time was 95 min, assist circulation time 64 min. Results Twenty days after the operation, the patient was discharged without any events, and serum norepinepherine dropped to 1. 339 ng/ml, and urinary norepinepherine 108μg/24h. Conclusion Orthotopic HTX is an effective treatment for cardiac PCT when it cannot be resected.
Carney triad is a rare tumor syndrome with few reports. This case showed the enhanced CT and MRI images of a rare young woman patient with Carney triad (containing gastric stromal tumor, renal cell carcinoma, adrenal pheochromocytoma, and pulmonary chondrosarcoma), which is intended to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and differential diagnosis. This case reminds the radiologists and clinicians that the patients with a history of primary gastrointestinal stromal tumor and neoplastic lesions occurring at specific sites (pulmonary chondrosarcoma, adrenal pheochromocytoma, renal cell carcinoma, etc.) need to be alerted to the possibility of combining with Carney triad.