Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema as the sole manifestation of pheochromocytoma.

A 40-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with pulmonary edema without signs of left ventricular failure. Noncardiogenic pulmonary edema was diagnosed, and a subsequent workup identified a pheochromocytoma as the cause of this condition. The clinical picture could be mimicked by infusion of exogenous norepinephrine. It is concluded that surges of catecholamines from a pheochromocytoma may provoke pulmonary edema in a manner similar to that by which neurogenic pulmonary edema related to cerebral disorders occurs.