Ethanol Ablation for Benign Insulinoma: Intraoperative and Endoscopic Approaches

Ethanol ablation can be utilized to manage insulinoma. We aimed to analyze our outcomes of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and intraoperative ultrasound (IOUS) guided Ethanol ablation of insulinoma.

A single institution retrospective review of adults undergoing Ethanol ablation of benign pancreatic insulinoma (2007-2022) was performed. Outcomes were categorized as resolution of hypoglycemia, improvement, or no change at last follow-up.

A total of 16 patients underwent Ethanol ablation of benign insulinoma (N = 8 EUS, N = 8 IOUS): median age was 68 y, 8 (50%) were females, and 2 (12.5%) were associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type-1. Median insulinoma size was 12 (range 7, 25) mm. Ethanol ablation was preferred over resection to avoid pancreaticoduodenectomy when it was not possible to enucleate the tumor in 10 (62.5%) patients while the rest underwent ablation due to being poor surgical candidates or because of a history of previous pancreatic resection. The median follow-up (interquartile range) was 43 (19.5, 81.5) mo. Resolution of hypoglycemia occurred in 11 patients (5 EUS, 6 IOUS), while the rest (3 EUS, 2 IOUS) experienced improvement in the severity and frequency of hypoglycemia. A single patient underwent resection following a previous ablation for symptomatic hypoglycemia 5 y after EUS guided ablation.

Ethanol ablation provides an alternative therapeutic option for patients with insulinoma. Both EUS and IOUS guided approaches are associated with a favorable resolution rate although EUS guided ablation may require multiple procedures to optimize outcomes.