Small bowel infarction associated with pancreatic glucagonoma

An 88 year old woman presented comatose, hypothermic and hyperglycaemic. She died soon after admission and at autopsy recent small bowel infarction was found. The superior mesenteric artery was encased in a dense pancreatic mass and there was marked luminal narrowing of the vessel. Histology revealed a pancreatic glucagonoma which had metastasized to colonic submucosa and serosa. Glucagonoma is a rare tumour and this presentation of small bowel infarction associated with pancreatic glucagonoma would appear to be a unique event.