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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Robotic Enucleation of an Intra-Pancreatic Insulinoma in the Pancreatic Head
Published on: January 3, 2020
Localization of insulinomas
M P Boukhman1, J M Karam, J Shaver
1Department of Surgery, University of California, San Francisco 94115, USA.
Hypothesis:
Intraoperative ultrasonography is more sensitive than preoperative and other intraoperative techniques for localizing insulinoma.
Design:
Retrospective review.
Setting:
A tertiary referral center.
Patients:
All patients with a biochemical diagnosis of organic hyperinsulinism who were referred to University of California, San Francisco, from 1975 to 1998.
Methods:
Sensitivities of the localization techniques for insulinoma were evaluated.
Results:
The sensitivities of tumor localization with arteriography, computed tomography, preoperative ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance imaging with gadolinium, transhepatic venous sampling, palpation, and intraoperative ultrasonography were 47%, 24%, 50%, 30%, 40%, 55%, 76%, and 91%, respectively. Nine of the 11 nonpalpable and nonvisible tumors at operation were localized by intraoperative ultrasonography.
Conclusion:
The currently available preoperative localization tests are not reliable enough to be recommended when intraoperative ultrasonography is available.
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