Pavel Blažíček
Imaging techniques to localize pheochromocytomas have advanced markedly, but nevertheless the biochemical diagnosis in primary diagnostics is of major importance. As a screening method for diagnostics of pheochromocytomas is used determination of free catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline, dopamine) in 24-hour urine (this determination has a sensitivity of 85 % at 85 % specificity), or total nephrines (metanephrine, normetanephrine, methoxydopamine) in 24-hour urine (this determination has a sensitivity of 96 % at 64 % specificity). When it was proved that in blood there was found a high level of free nephrines (metanephrine and normetanephrine), directly derived from pheochromocytoma (pheochromocytoma contains catechol- O- methyltransferase, which converts catecholamines to nephrines) determination of nephrine had become as the most reliable method for diagnostics of pheochromocytoma (sensitivity 98 % at specificity 89 %).