Role of Somatostatin-Analogues in Gastrointestinal Diseases : Supplement Issue: Digestion 1999, Vol. 60, Suppl. 2

Somatostatin, a peptide hormone initially isolated from ovine hypthalami, has been documented to inhibit the release of growth hormone.

It soon became evident that this peptide was not only present in the brain but also widely distributed in the stomach, the gastrointestinal tract and the pancreas.

In the mid-1980s, a synthetic analogue of somatostatin, octreotide, became widely available and has been instrumental in the treatment of acromegaly and in several clinical areas relating to gastroenterology and digestive surgery.

This text examines the role of somatostatin-analogues in gastrointestinal diseases, and includes such topics as the role of octreotide and somatostatin in the treatment of intestinal fistulae, and somatostatin or octreotide in acute variceal bleeding.