Somatostatin as adjuvant therapy in the management of obstructive ileus

The adjuvant use of somatostatin in the clinical management of obstructive ileus was studied prospectively. Fifty-four consecutive patients suffering from total obstructive ileus were managed over a period of one year. A double-blind clinical trial involving the administration of somatostatin for two days was carried out. Twenty-seven non-selected patients received somatostatin, while the other twenty-seven did not. Of the 27 patients who did not receive somatostatin, 12 (44%) were operated on, while only 6 (22%) of those who had received the agent required surgery. As little as 16% of the patients who received somatostatin pre-operatively exhibited severe dilatation and necrosis of the intestine proximal to the area of destruction as compared with 83% of those patients who did not receive somatostatin before the operation. It was concluded that while the administration of somatostatin to patients suffering from obstructive ileus may not be directly related to a reduction in surgery, it does reduce the effects of intestinal dilatation on the healthy gut proximal to the area of destruction.