Ultrasonic investigation of pancreatic islet cell tumors.

Ultrasonographic imaging was performed on 49 patients who had pancreatic islet cell tumors, including examples of all six known tumor varieties. In beta cell insulinomas, ultrasonography was of little value for tumor visualization, because these tumors tend to be small and the patients frequently are obese. On the other hand, ultrasonography was very effective for evaluating the nonbeta cell tumors, detecting both primary pancreatic neoplasms and hepatic metastases in patients with glucagonomas, somatostatinoma, non-functioning tumors, and the WDHA syndrome. In detection of the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, ultrasonography compares favorably with previously reported gastrinoma detection by angiography and CT scanning.