[Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-secreting diffuse ganglioneuromatosis affecting the small intestine and the colon in an infant: an exceptional inaugural manifestation of NF1].

Diffuse ganglioneuromatosis of the digestive tract is a rare condition, especially in children. It is frequently associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b and less commonly with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). We report the case of an 8-month-old baby presenting with vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)-secreting diffuse ganglioneuromatosis affecting the small intestine and the colon and responsible for severe hydric diarrhea. Postoperatively the infant's symptoms resolved and the serum VIP level was normal. NF1 was clinically suspected and then confirmed through genetic testing. Two years later, the child developed an optic pathway glioma, another tumor frequently associated with NF1.
(Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.)