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Seventeen patients bleeding from oesophageal varices were treated by continuous infusion of vasopressin through a catheter inserted percutaneously and positioned in the superior mesenteric artery and in two other patients catheterization proved technically impossible. Bleeding was completely controlled on only four out of 18 occasions in the 17 patients treated. In seven patients, bleeding was controlled for two or more days but then recurred although the infusion was continued with an increased dose of vasopressin. There was a high incidence of complications, including bleeding from the site of catheter insertion in the groin and septicaemias. Sengstaken balloon tamponade and oesophageal transection had to be used to control bleeding in some patients but only six out of 17 survived to leave hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A patient with a multiple-hormone-producing islet cell carcinoma, who had previously been successfully treated with streptozotocin, was given three further infusions of this drug because of the redevelopment of gastric hypersecretion. Although some evidence of damage to the gastrinsecreting cells was obtained, the fasting plasma gastrin was not significantly altered and the patient died from a perforated duodenal ulcer. Serum insulin levels were considerably reduced and the patient became mildly diabetic but the main complication of treatment was a severe though reversible renal tubular defect. At necropsy considerable quantities of gastrin, but low levels of insulin and glucagon were extracted from a tumour metastasis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A patient with a 5-hydroxyindole-secreting rectal carcinoid tumour is described, the second on record. There was no clinical evidence of carcinoid syndrome. Prostaglandin-like substances were isolated from hepatic metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]