1 Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics
2 Departments of Surgery and Pediatrics
3 Department of Pediatrics
4 Department of Surgery, The Doernbecher Children's Hospital, University of Oregon Medical School, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, Oregon 97201
Hypoglycemia caused by an islet cell tumor of the pancreas has been reported in only a few newborn babies.1-7 This paper presents another case in whom the hypoglycemia was severe and resistant to all forms of medical therapy, including 7-chloro-3-methyl-2H-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine 1, 1-dioxide (Diazoxide). Hyperinsulinemia was not found but the plasma insulin/glucose ratio was inappropriately high while the patient was hypoglycemic. The hypoglycemia was cured by removal of the tumor at the age of 4 months. Insulin levels in the tumor and in the normal pancreatic tissue are also reported.
Methods
Glucose tolerance tests were performed using 2.5 gm/kg glucose given as a 25% solution by gavage over 5 minutes.