Can somatostatin prevent injection pancreatitis after ERCP?

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Somatostatin in the context of pancreatitis (after the acute phase) in this randomized controlled trial publication.

C-peptide was also determined as a marker of the function of the endocrine pancreas.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 30 patients taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Somatostatin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Blinding on both sides kept the patients and researchers unaware of who received Somatostatin.

A placebo (an inactive look-alike) gave the Somatostatin group a baseline to be compared against.

S-amylase, U-amylase and S-lipase were evaluated before, during and after (up to 48 hours) ERCP.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Amylases, C-Peptide, Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde, Injections, Lipase, Pancreatitis and Somatostatin.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Somatostatin in 30 patients in people with pancreatitis (after the acute phase).

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The publication is from 1992 (Hepato-gastroenterology), a journal based in Greece.

More context: the Somatostatin compound page, Pancreatitis (after the acute phase) research.