title: Late-onset primary intestinal lymphangiectasia successfully managed with octreotide: a case report.
abstract: We report a case of a patient with late-onset primary lymphangiectasia whose persistent diarrhoea was successfully managed with octreotide. A 63 year-old man visited our clinic with a complaint of worsening general edema. Gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed typical whitish jejunal villi, which suggested primary intestinal lymphangiectasia. Despite a diet, supplemented with medium-chain triglycerides; antiplasmin therapy; oral corticosteroids; and surgery, including pericardial window and lymphaticovenous anastomoses; his symptoms, including watery diarrhoea, showed no improvement. After administration of octreotide, his persistent diarrhoea resolved within a couple of days. Octreotide was continued for 2 months. Thereafter, his diarrhoea has not recurred for 6 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Clinical Science, Division of Vascular Surgery, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Yamaguchi, Japan.
authors.forename: Kotaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suehiro
authors.forename: Noriyasu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morikage
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: Kimikazu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamano
keywords: intestinal lymphangiectasia; octreotide; protein-losing enteropathy
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