6457 You Are Never Too Old For Pheo

Abstract Disclosure: M. Masumy: None. B. McAdams: None. P. Mikkilineni: None. Introduction: Pheochromocytomas (PCC) are a rare neuroendocrine tumor derived from chromaffin cells. The incidence is estimated at 8 in 1 million individuals with no sex or ethnic predilection. It is estimated that 0.05-0.2% of hypertensives may have PCC. Its incidence generally peaks between the third and fifth decades of life. The classic PCC symptoms are headaches, hypertension, palpitations, pallor and tachycardia. However, most patients may not present with these symptoms, and may go undiagnosed. Untreated PCC can have significant morbidity and mortality such as MI, CVA, and hypertensive crises. The current standard of evaluation for PCC includes obtaining serum metanephrines, then if significantly elevated, obtaining CT imaging. Oftentimes, surgical resection is the treatment of choice, but PCC may recur, thus regular follow up is needed. We present a case of PCC in an elderly patient who developed symptoms over a year. Case presentation: A 72-year-old Caucasian female with diabetes presented to the emergency department with palpitations, severe headache, flushing and hypertension. She began experiencing these spells several months earlier with increasingly difficult to manage hypertension. She also had a CVA and NSTEMI earlier in the year. Her blood pressure regimen included amlodipine 20 mg, valsartan 160 mg, and carvedilol 12.5 mg bid. Despite this her blood pressure was uncontrolled. She also had palpitations and unease up to an hour after taking valsartan. Due to her symptoms; PCC was suspected. Serum metanephrines were obtained with her normetanephrines measured at 3334.7 pg/ml and metanephrines were 475.6 pg/ml, these were significantly elevated and thus an abdominal CT scan was done. On CT, she was found to have a 4.9 cm x 4.4 cm left adrenal mass with a density of 31 Hounsfield units. Her symptoms, labs and imaging were strongly indicative of PCC and she was referred to surgery. Her previous blood pressure medications were discontinued, and doxazosin was titrated to a goal SBP of 120 mmHg. Then metoprolol was added to attain a goal heart rate below 70 bpm. She then underwent a successful laparoscopic left adrenalectomy. She is now on 5mg of amlodipine for her blood pressure and metformin for her diabetes. She will be having regular follow ups to monitor for pheochromocytoma recurrence. Conclusion: Though pheochromocytoma is a rare entity that affects individuals primarily in the third and fourth decade of life, it may also occur in elderly patients. In patients with difficult hypertension, screening with metanephrines may be indicated if these are significantly elevated CT imaging should be obtained. When obtaining CT imaging, Hounsfield units are important in characterizing PCC. Achieving adequate alpha blockade before beta blockade is also essential pre-surgery for the best outcome. Even after surgery, patients will require lifelong follow up to monitor for recurrence. Presentation: 6/1/2024