Percutaneous transhepatic sampling of blood in the portal venous system (TPVS) was used to; (1) localize hormone secreting tumors and help in differentiating tumors from diffuse disease (nesideoblastosis and hyperplasia with adenomata) in 9 patients with fasting hypoglycemia and hyperinsulinism, and (2) study the concentration an distribution of the immunoreactive peptides: insulin (IRI), gastrin (IG), glucagon (IRG), pancreatic polypeptide (hPP), and somatostatin (SRIF-LI), in the venous drainage of the uninvolved portion of the pancreas and GI tract. Localized elevations of IRI (64-920 microunits/ml) predicted tumor localization in 6 patients with single tumors that were not demonstrable angiographically. In one patient with nesideoblastosis and another with islet cell hyperplasia with adenoma, elevated IRI concentrations at multiple locations suggested a diffuse or multicentric process. Elevations of SRIF-LI in the same region as IRI elevations in one patient and of IRG in another patient suggested that these tumor produced two hormones. Some problems in the interpretation of portal venous insulin concentrations are discussed. The locations of maximum portal venous system plasma concentrations and portal-arterial gradients (mean +/- SE pg/ml) in five patients with small single insulinomas were: IG, gastrocolic trunk (126 +/- 27, 46 +/- 22); IRG, proximal splenic vein (130 +/- 30, 47 +/- 13) and gastrocolic trunk (131 +/- 23, 60 +/- 13); hPP, portal vein (164 +/- 48, 49 +/- 22); SRIF-LI, superior mesenteric vein (186 +/- 50, 57 +/- 20) and gastrocolic trunk (178 +/- 59, 55 +/- 21). It is concluded; (1) TPVS can be used successfully to localize single insulin-secreting tumors of the pancreas and to help distinguish them from diffuse disease but problems in such differentiation do occur, (2) circulating SRIF-LI and IRG are derived from both the pancreas and the gut, IG predominantly from the proximal gut and hPP from the head of the pancreas, and (3) The data provide new information for the interpretation of portal insulin concentrations in patients with organic hyperinsulinism and of hormone concentrations for localization of peptide-producing tumors of the pancreas other than insulinomas.