MDCT appearances of pancreatic insulinoma as well as the other well differentiated endocrine tumors

Abstract

Introduction: Pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) are primarily well-differentiated tumors composed of cells that resemble normal islet cells but that arise from pancreatic ductal cells. They are classified as functioning or nonfunctioning according to their associated clinical symptoms; insulinomas, gastrinomas and glucagonomas are the most common function­ing PETs Case Report: A 36-years old man presented with a one-month history of fainting attacks and dizziness, symptoms of hypoglycemia such as hunger, sweating, palpitations, loss of consciousness and syncope. We tried abdominal enhanced spiral CT to localize the tumor, but that wasn’t successful. Therefore, we tried a new method of MD spiral CT scanning and localized the tumor. Discussion and Conclusion: Insulinomas are the commonest islet cell tumors of the pancreas, followed by gastrinomas. Preoperative localization is very helpful in planning the operation: it allows the surgeon to determine whether simple tumor resection or partial pancreatectomy is likely to be required.