[Effect of somatostatin on metabolic changes following ERCP ]

An investigation was carried out on the ameliorating effect of cyclic somatostatin on the biochemical changes and impairment of glucose tolerance which follow endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. Serum amylase and plasma insulin and glucagon levels were significantly lower in a group of 20 patients receiving somatostatin prior to pancreatic radiography than in 35 control patients without such pretreatment. (Maximum increases in control and somatostatin-pretreated patients, respectively were: amylase: 4695 +/- 290; 1037 +/- 155 U/l p less than 0.001; insulin: 504 +/- 89; 179 +/- 43 pmol/l p less than 0.001; glucagon: 394 +/- 44; 62 +/- 13 pmol/l p less than 0.05.) Impairment of glucose tolerance was also considerably less in the patients given prophylactic somatostatin. These results indicate that postpancreatographic metabolic abnormalities can be ameliorated, or possibly even prevented altogether, by prior administration of somatostatin.