[Protective effects of PGE1 on postoperative liver function after gastric cancer surgery]

The effects of PGE1 on liver function tests in patients who underwent gastric cancer surgery were studied. PGE1 was administered in 13 patients at a rate of 20-100 ng.kg-1.min-1 (PGE1 group) during surgery. Fourteen patients served as the control group. On the first postoperative day, SGOT and SGPT increased in both groups. But on the first and the third postoperative days, SGPT of the PGE1 group was significantly lower (P less than 0.05) than that of the control group. Five patients in the control group showed transaminase above 100 IU.l-1 in the postoperative period. In contrast, no patient showed this increase in the PGE1 group. These findings indicate that continuous infusion of PGE1 during surgery is beneficial in attenuating hepatic injury.