A case with insulinoma diagnosed and localized preoperatively using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and...

We report a case with insulinoma diagnosed and localized preoperatively using a combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and arterial stimulation and venous sampling (ASVS). A 76-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of hypoglycemic attacks, delirium, and dementia. Fajans' ratio, Grunt's ratio, and Turner's ratio, which are reported to be indexes for endogenous hyperinsulinemia in insulinoma, were all negative. Imaging tests, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and angiography, failed to detect any abnormalities. CEUS showed a small low echoic lesion in the pancreatic body with blood flow and ASVS showed that the insulin levels in the hepatic vein were extremely increased by calcium injection to the splenic artery, indicating an insulinoma in the pancreatic body preoperatively. An open intra-abdominal operation was performed and an insulinoma was confirmed in the pancreatic body. Enucleation of tumor was undertaken and symptomatic hypoglycemia improved.