Hypertensive Emergency Secondary to Paraganglioma in a Pediatric Patient With a Fenestrated Fontan.

BACKGROUND

Children with Fontan physiology are at risk for a range of complications, including potentially life-threatening causes of secondary hypertension.

CASE SUMMARY: We present a 10-year-old girl with hypoplastic left heart syndrome post-Fontan who developed hypertensive crisis, chest pain, and atrial tachycardia. Work-up revealed elevated cardiac biomarkers and a retroperitoneal mass at the aortic bifurcation. Laboratory testing showed markedly elevated catecholamines, and imaging confirmed a catecholamine-secreting paraganglioma. She was medically stabilized with alpha and beta blockade, and then underwent successful surgical resection. She was discharged with well-controlled blood pressure and continues to receive multidisciplinary follow-up.

DISCUSSION: Paragangliomas are rare in children but may be linked to chronic hypoxia in congenital heart disease. In Fontan patients, sustained hypoxemia may predispose to neuroendocrine tumors, necessitating vigilance for secondary causes of hypertension.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE: Early recognition and coordinated care are essential in managing secondary hypertension in children with complex congenital heart disease.