[en] Forty-seven patients suspected of having pheochromocytoma were studied with ¹³¹I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (¹³¹I-MIBG) scintigraphy and computed tomography (CT) for the localization of lesions. Information indicating the presence or absence of pheochromocytoma was available in 47 patients. Twenty-three patients were found to have pheochromocytoma; 25 adernal and 3 extraadrenal tumors. The diagnostic sensitivity of ¹³¹I-MIBG scintigraphy was calculated as 87 % (20/23), and diagnostic specificity was defined as 92 % (22/24). Then, we compared the detectability of ¹³¹I-MIBG scintigraphy with CT for sites of pheochromocytoma. For 75 % (21/28) of tumor sites, both methods were in agreement. They were complementary in the remaining 25 % (7/28). The advantage of ¹³¹I-MIBG scintigraphy is to screen the whole body with high specificity and locate extraadrenal sites of pheochromocytoma with better accuracy than CT. However, CT has better sensitivity for intraadrenal pheochromocytomas due to its better spatial resolution than scintigraphy, as well as giving the anatomical informations. We conclude that ¹³¹I-MIBG scintigraphy is very useful in the detection of pheochromocytoma. (author)