Percutaneous transhepatic venous sampling of the pancreas in localizing insulinomas

Fourteen percutaneous transhepatic venous samplings of the pancreas were performed in 13 patients. Ten patients undergoing 11 samplings were operated, while 3 patients were not operated. Surgical intervention disclosed a single tumor in 8 patients, a double tumor in 1 patient and diffuse hyperplasia in 1 patient. The method allowed correct localization of 5 insulinomas and correct regionalizing of 4 insulinomas in 9 of 10 small tumoral lesions. In 1 double localization of the pancreatic body percutaneous venous sampling only detected 1 lesion. In 1 case of diffuse hyperplasia of the pancreatic tail, the venous sampling was suggestive for a tumor in the pancreatic tail. The method appears to be highly accurate in diagnosing and localizing insulinomas of the pancreas. However, a need persists for 3-dimensional localization of the lesions to facilitate enucleation. Intraoperative ultrasound could become the method of choice for localization of insulinomas.