Related Experiment Videos
Metabolic remission with octreotide in patients with insulinoma
F E von Eyben1, E Grodum, H J Gjessing
1Department of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.
Objectives:
The efficacy of octreotide was studied in a group of patients with biochemical evidence of insulinoma.
Design:
A phase-II study.
Setting:
A university department of internal medicine.
Subjects:
Seven patients with biochemical evidence of insulinoma and without metastatic lesions.
Intervention:
Daily treatment with octreotide, a somatostatin analogue, mainly within the dosage of 100-300 micrograms day-1. The treatment was continued in patients with biochemical evidence of response or until surgery was undertaken.
Main Outcome:
Five patients avoided hypoglycaemic symptoms and had normalization of blood glucose values for a median of 15+ months (range 0.2-54 months). Two did not improve metabolically. The treatment was well tolerated and had no deleterious effects on blood glucose regulation.
Conclusion:
Octreotide seems to be a promising treatment for many of the patients with insulinoma who are not suitable for surgery.