Intestinal mucosa in the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

Zollinger and Ellison (1955) showed that the intestine in patients with islet cell tumour of the pancreas was liable to ulcerate at sites typical and atypical of 'peptic' ulcer. These ulcers have been described histologically after resection as being similar to the commonly seen peptic ulcer but reports as to the state of the mucosa between the ulcers or elsewhere in the intestine are few. We have recently had the opportunity of studying the mucosal morphology of a patient with the Zollinger-Ellison syndrome by means of specimens obtained during small bowel biopsy. The appearances of the pre-ulcerative state of the mucosa and the variability of the abnormalities in different specimens made us feel that these were worthy of record.