The watery diarrhea syndrome with hypercalcemia--a symptomatic response to phosphate buffer.

Two patients with the watery diarrhea, hypokalemia, achlorhydria syndrome are described. Both had hypercalcemia, hypophosphatemia and suppressed parathyroid hormone activity. On repeated occasions the diarrhea was controlled by oral or intravenous phosphate buffer. An exhaustive search by sophisticated non-invasive methods and by celiac arteriography failed to demonstrate a pancreatic tumor. Yet, in both cases fairly large pancreatic non-beta-cell adenomas were found at laparotomy. The removal of these tumors was followed by complete recovery.