The use of intraoperative sonography in endocrine tumors of the pancreas

Abstract

Abstract Intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) was performed in 21 patients with 22 endocrine tumors of the pancreas. Seventeen patients suffered from an organic hyperinsulinism, 4 had Zollinger‐EUison syndrome. One patient with an insulinoma had a pancreatic‐polypeptide‐producing adenoma (PPoma) as a second tumor. Fifteen of the insulinomas investigated by IOUS were visible and palpable. In 2 patients no tumor was found during initial operation. At reoperation 1 tumor was detected by IOUS only, the reoperation in the other patient is planned. The PPoma was an incidental finding during IOUS . In 4 patients with Zollinger‐Ellison Syndrome, 1 gastrinoma was localized in the pancreas and 2 in the duodenal wall by palpation. In 1 patient we found no gastrinoma by either surgical exploration or by IOUS. In 1 of the positive cases the tumor was demonstrable by IOUS. In the other patient it was too small for imaging. Two of these patients had liver metastases, which could be demonstrated by IOUS only. We conclude that IOUS should be performed routinely in operations for pancreatic APUDomas .