Prolonged Glucagon Administration in a Case of Hyperinsulinism Due to Disseminated Islet-Cell Carcinoma

RECENT progress in glucagon research has made this hormone available in high purity, clarified its important role in carbohydrate metabolism and suggested its applicability in many clinical problems.1 Schulman and Greben2 have employed glucagon parenterally to terminate hypoglycemic coma associated with insulin-shock therapy, but the prolonged administration of glucagon for the control of chronic hypoglycemia has not been investigated. A case of severe and persistent hypoglycemia in a woman with functioning islet-cell carcinomatosis permitted such an attempt. Although epinephrine and ACTH were only transiently effective, the intravenous administration of glucagon¶ over a two-and-a-half-month period resulted in a decrease in both . . .