[Effects of ceruletide in the treatment of postoperative paralytic ileus]

After a short analysis of the pathogenetic causes which can lead to paralytic ileus and the drugs at present available for treatment of this serious morbid form, the paper reports results obtained with Ceruletide, a decapeptide which has proved active on intestinal peristalsis in experimental and clinical trials. The results of this study, carried out on 20 patients subjected to surgical operation on the abdomen, treated with Ceruletide by intramuscular route 24-48 hours after the operation, showed that this drug is capable of leading to a quick recovery of intestinal motor activity without causing the patient unpleasant effects for the patient. The practical utility of Ceruletide is evident since by leading to earlier canalisation of the intestine it also allows the venous hydro-electric delivery to be reduced, nasogastric aspiration to be eliminated early and hence the postoperative course to be made more acceptable to the patient.