[Current approach to the treatment of acute pancreatitis with reference to the use of somatostatin]. / Attualità nel trattamento della pancreatite acuta in relazione all'impiego della somatostatina.

A series of 172 cases of acute pancreatitis encountered between 1-1-79 and 30-4-88, including 57 treated with somatostatin is presented. A comparison between the latter and the other cases treated with a variety of drugs (aprotinin, cimetidine, ranitidine) led to the following conclusions: 1) somatostatin significantly improves the clinical course of acute oedematous pancreatitis with circumscribed necrosis; 2) it makes no difference to the development of cases with diffuse necrosis and haemorrhage.