The effectiveness of administering a minimal dose of octreotide long-term prior to surgery for insulinoma: report of a case.

We report herein the case of an 80-year-old woman with insulinoma who was regarded as an unsuitable candidate for immediate surgery due to her advanced age and obesity, for whom octreotide, a long-acting analogue of somatostatin, was used to improve her hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinemia without hyperalimentation. Administering a minimal dose of octreotide for a long period resulted in the improvement of leg edema, weight control, and cardiopulmonary function, and resection of the pancreatic tumor was safely carried out without any complications.