[Meperidine (pethidine) outdated as analgesic in acute pancreatitis]

The most important symptom in acute pancreatitis is pain. This pain often is so severe that treatment is started with opioid analgesics. In daily practice meperidine is often the analgesic of first choice because it is supposed to cause less spasm of the M. sphincter ampullae hepatopancreaticae (sphincter of Oddi). Drawbacks of the use of meperidine compared with other opiods are myoclonias, tremors and convulsions due to accumulation of the metabolite norpethidine, and hypotension, tachycardia and erythema due to release of more histamine from mast cells. From literature study it appeared that all opioids have a spasmogenic effect on the sphincter of Oddi, that there are no good arguments to assume that this effect is less when meperidine is used, and that there is no good evidence that this spasmogenic effect of opioid analgesics influences the course of acute pancreatitis in an unfavourable way. Since the profile of effects and side effects of meperidine is unfavourable, we prefer the use of opioids with a larger therapeutic width.