[Carcinoid of the papilla of Vater-somatostatinoma--a case report].

A 46-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of liver dysfunction. She had been suffering from right hypochondralgia for two months. On admission, Laboratory data indicated extrahepatic cholestasis. Both X-ray and endoscopic examinations confirm a submucosal tumor of the papilla of Vater, and surgical diagnosis was performed. Histologically, the tumor was diagnosed as carcinoid, and a further immunohistochemical study by the PAP method using antisomatostatin serum indicated somatostatinoma. Electron microscopically, the tumor cells were found to contain numerous intracellular granules, which looked like D cells in the pancreatic islet. Somatostatinoma in the intestinal tract has been reported in only 13 cases, in only one of which was it located in the papilla of Vater. That means that, this is the second case so far.