A rare case of adult-onset nesidioblastosis treated successfully with diazoxide
A 54-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for evaluation of hypoglycemia. He had frequent episodes of loss of concentration before dinner. The ratio of IRI to plasma glucose (PG) was 0.8-1.0. Abdominal CT revealed no pancreatic tumor, and angiography of splenic artery showed no definite tumor stain within the pancreas. Based on the results of selective arterial calcium stimulation and hepatic venous sampling (ASVS), the provisional diagnosis was a small insulinoma in the pancreatic body. The patient underwent subtotal distal pancreatectomy. However, histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations of the resected tissue showed hypertrophy of islets of Langerhans islands and beta cells around pancreatic ducts. The final diagnosis was adult-onset nesidioblastosis. Postoperatively, the patient continued to exhibit hyperinsulinemia and nighttime hypoglycemia. Octreotide, voglibose and diet therapies failed to improve the nocturnal hypoglycemia. However, treatment with diazoxide at a starting dose of 200 mg/day resulted in immediate amelioration of nocturnal hypoglycemia. This is the first Japanese adult case of nesidioblastosis treated successfully with diazoxide. This case report suggests that diazoxide may be effective for adult-onset nesidioblastosis in a manner similar to that described for pediatric cases.