Abstract
Catecholamines may contribute to the accumulation of collagen fibers and extracellular matrix in the arterial and myocardial wall due to various mechanisms. Reversibility of this process has not been studied on both structures simultaneously.
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to clarify the long-term effect of catecholamines' excess normalization on carotid and myocardial wall changes in patients with pheochromocytoma or functional paraganglioma (PHEO) after tumor removal. Design, Settings and Patients: Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and left ventricle (LV) mass index were studied in 50 patients with PHEO before tumor removal and 5 years after tumor removal and in 50 blood pressure- and age-matched essential hypertensive patients (EH) before follow-up and after 5 years of follow-up.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Common carotid IMT (CCA-IMT) and LV mass indexed to the lean body mass (LBM). RESULTS: Elimination of catecholamine excess in the PHEO group resulted in a significant decrease in CCA-IMT and LV mass index from 0.86 +- 0.17 to 0.83 +- 0.18 mm (P <0.05) and from 3.2 +- 0.9 to 2.9 +- 0.9 g/LBM (P <0.001), respectively.
In contrast, CCA-IMT and LV mass index increased significantly from 0.78 +- 0.14 to 0.81 +- 0.15 mm (P <0.05) and from 3.1 +- 0.7 to 3.2 +- 0.6 g/LBM (P <0.05), respectively, in patients with essential hypertension. CONCLUSION: In patients with PHEO, carotid IMT and LV mass index can significantly regress after the tumor removal, in contrast to the impairment of these parameters in patients with EH during the same long-term period.