How is pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma diagnosed?
Pheochromocytoma is usually diagnosed using blood or urine tests that measure the level of metabolic products (from chemical reactions) of the hormones released by the tumor. Levels of more than 4-fold above normal usually indicate the presence of the tumor. Tumor localization testing is used to locate a tumor after biochemical tests confirmed the presence of pheochromocytoma or paraganglioma. For patients with a hereditary predisposition or a previous history of this condition, including metastatic disease, whole body tumor localization testing is highly recommended to rule out any multiple or metastatic tumors. The most commonly used tumor localization tests include computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
