title: Rapid changes of serum vasoactive intestinal peptide after removal of ganglioneuroblastoma with watery-diarrhea-hypokalemia-achlorhydria syndrome in a child.
abstract: A 23-month-old girl with intractable diarrhea that had persisted for the past 6 months showed typical evidence of water-diarrhea-hypokalemia-achlorhydria (WDHA) syndrome. Serum vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-like immunoactivity was very high, and urine homovanillic acid and noradrenaline were also abnormally increased. A calcified tumor in the right paravertebral region was noted radiologically. Soon after resection of the tumor, the diarrhea dramatically improved. A ganglioneuroblastoma was histologically confirmed. Serum VIP decreased to normal level at 1 h after the removal of the tumor. VIP activity in the tumor was extraordinarily high, and the cells were stained by the indirect immunofluorescence technique with anti-VIP serum. This is to report the rapid turnover of serum level of VIP after resection of ganglioneuroblastoma with WDHA syndrome in a child.
mesh_terms: D000126:Achlorhydria / Q000209:etiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005729:Ganglioneuroma / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007008:Hypokalemia / Q000209:etiology*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D013577:Syndrome; D013997:Time Factors; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide