Experience with synthetic secretin in the treatment of duodenal ulcer

Hospitalized male patients with endoscopically verified duodenal ulcer were studied to determine the effect of secretin on the clinical course of their disease. Seven patients received synthetic porcine secretin, 333 mug subcutaneously every 4 hr for 10 days, and 6 patients received placebo injections on the same schedule. Repeat endoscopy was performed within 48 hr of completing the 10-day treatment period. The trial was discontinued because of transient, asymptomatic, hyperamylasemia in secretin-treated patients. Although significant gastric alkalinization could be reproducibly demonstrated in secretin-treated patients, secretin was not more effective than placebo in relieving pain or healing duodenal ulcer. However, because the number of patients was small, definitive conclusions regarding efficacy of secretin in ulcer treatment could not be drawn.