[Management of pancreatic fistula with terbutaline. Report of a case]

External pancreatic fistulas are secondary to trauma or surgery. Their treatment consists of scrupulous skin care, fluid and electrolyte replacement and nutritional support. Usually they are associated to significant morbidity and mortality as well as long hospital stay. In 1981 Joehl described the inhibitory effect on pancreatic secretion caused by the beta agonist terbutaline, in 1985 he used it successfully in a patient with an external pancreatic fistula following an episode of pancreatitis. We report the case of a 21 year old patient who presented with a 26 day posttraumatic pancreatic fistula that closed five days after the administration of terbutaline. To our knowledge this is the second case reported in the literature. We believe that use of terbutaline, due to its pancreatic inhibitory effect as well as its minimal side effects, might be useful in these patients.