SUMMARY A 44-year-old woman is described with an endocrine tumour arising in the kidney. There were associated abnormalities of small intestinal morphology, motility, and absorptive function. These abnormalities reversed on removal of the tumour. Detailed studies showed that the tumour contained, and was secreting, glucagon. It is postulated that the intestinal abnormalities may have resulted from glucagon itself or another, as yet unidentified, hormone.Glucagon-secreting tumours are rare and the few cases described have, with one exception, arisen in the pancreas

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ABSTRA CT The effects of controlled interruption of the enterohepatic circulation (EHC) of bile salts by biliary diversion on bile volume, bile salt secretion and synthesis rates, bile salt pool size, and the relationship to fecal fat excretion were studied in 16 rhesus monkeys.Bile from a chronic bile fistula was returned to the intestine through an electronic stream-splitter which, by diverting different percentages of bile to a collecting system, provided graded and controlled interruption of the EHC.The increase in hepatic bile salt synthesis in response to interruption of the EHC was limited and reached a maximum rate at 20% interruption of the EHC. Up to this level of biliary diversion, the increased hepatic synthesis compensated for bile salt loss so that bile salt secretion and pool size were maintained at normal levels. With diversion of 33% or more, there was no further increase in hepatic bile salt synthesis to compensate for external loss, and as a result there was diminished bile salt secretion, a reduction in bile salt pool size, and steatorrhea was observed.