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A possible role for the exocrine pancreas in the pathogenesis of neonatal leucine-sensitive hypoglycemia

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Summary

The subject of this report was a patient with neonatal, leucine-sensitive hypoglycemia resistant to medical therapy including diazoxide and in whom a subtotal pancreatectomy was performed at age 3 months. The histopathologic findings in this case included the diffuse neoformation of islet cells (nesidioblastosis) from exocrine elements. Many of such islet cells stained densely as beta cells with the aldehyde-fuchsin stain. It is possible to implicate the exocrine pancreas via the process of nesidioblastosis in the pathogenesis of leucine-sensitive hypoglycemia and leucine as the most likely agent responsible for the induction of this process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, The Medical College of Virginia, 23219, Richmond, Va

    R. E. Brown MD & R. B. Young MD

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  1. R. E. Brown MD
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  2. R. B. Young MD
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The authors wish to thank Dr. M. R. Schweisthal for technical assistance and advice.

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Brown, R.E., Young, R.B. A possible role for the exocrine pancreas in the pathogenesis of neonatal leucine-sensitive hypoglycemia. Digest Dis Sci 15, 65–72 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02239348

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02239348

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