[Somatostatin in the emergency treatment of persistent hypoglycemias caused by hyperinsulinism (nesidioblastosis of the pancreas)].

11 infants with persisting hypoglycemia due to hyperinsulinism (nesidioblastosis of the pancreas) were treated with somatostatin. Somatostatin administration in a relatively high dosage (initially 145 micrograms/m2 body surface as bolus followed by a continuous infusion of the same dose per hour) resulted in a suppression of the circulating insulin concentration leading to a less abrupt fall of the postprandial plasma glucose level. By somatostatin infusion we were able to keep two patients with intractable neonatal hypoglycemia in a normoglycemic state until subtotal pancreatectomy. Infants suffering from nesidioblastosis require 1.0-4.5 micrograms/kg/h somatostatin and a concomitant carbohydrate supply of 0.3-0.48 g/kg/h in order to maintain normoglycemia. An initial somatostatin bolus can be omitted. Somatostatin is very reliable in the treatment of neonatal hypoglycemia due to hyperinsulinism for a limited period of time until subtotal pancreatectomy is performed. In most cases of nesidioblastosis this operative measure seems to be inevitable for the control of hyperinsulinism.