[page 30] [Clinics and Practice 2012; 2:e15]

Pheochromocytomas are rare tumors that present a diagnostic challenge in developing countries. They occur in the adrenal gland and as paragangliomas along the sympathetic chain. Clinical features are usually those of sustained or paroxysmal hypertension and complications thereof. Surgical extirpation remains the mainstay of treatment and is greatly facilitated by accurate pre-operative tumor localization. Pre-operative medical man-agement with antihypertensive medication has led to significant reductions in peri-opera-tive mortality. Determination of malignancy is difficult in the absence of obvious metastases. We present a case of left adrenal phechromocy-toma that was stabilized. Adrenalectomy had a good outcome and the patient has so far been followed up for a year