[Treatment of acute pancreatitis by glucagon. Experimental studies in dogs]

The authors made a comparative study of the use of glucagon (4 mg/day IV) in 30 dogs with acute pancreatitis. They found that the mortality and amylasemia were significantly lower in the glucagon-treated group than in the control groups (saline and glucose solution 5%). In the glucagon group, the areas of necrosis were smaller (1.5 cm) and rarely found; microscopically, the areas of necrosis and the inflammatory reaction were much smaller than in the other groups. These findings lead to the conclusion that the beneficial action of glucagon is due to another mechanism other than its hyperglycemic effect and that the administration of hypertonic solutions of glucose does not have a beneficial effect in acute pancreatitis.