Intractable diarrhoea in a patient with vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting neuroblastoma. Attempted control by somatostatin
Tiedemann, K.; Pritchard, J.; Long, R.; Bloom, S.R.
European Journal of Pediatrics 137(2): 217-219
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0340-6199 PMID: 6118274 Document Number: 175853
A 1 1/2 yr old child developed profuse watery diarrhea, shown to be due to excessive plasma vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) levels, while on treatment for metastatic neuroblastoma. Because the diarrhea was unresponsive to alternative treatment, an attempt was made to control it with a somatostatin infusion. The attempt failed despite the fact that serum VIP levels were substantially reduced. Possible reasons for failure are discussed and the importance of plasma VIP as a marker for maturation in neuroblastoma emphasized.