Introduction:

The prevalence of pancreatic fistulae after inflammatory, neoplastic, and traumatic disorders still represents a problem in surgery. The present study was aimed at assessing the usefulness of a somatostatin analog for pancreatic fistula closure.

Material and methods:

Eleven patients who were operated on for neoplastic, infl ammatory o traumatic disorders in the last 18 months and developed pancreatic fistulae as a surgical complication were included in this retrospective cohort study. All patients were managed with Octreotide LAR® (Novartis International AG, Basel, Switzerland) 20 mg intramuscularly. The following endpoints were assessed: time to fistula closure, hospital stay duration, classification of fistula based on output, and type of surgery.

Results:

Age range was 16 to 72 years (mean, 38 years). Out of 11 evaluated patients, 7 (63%) achieved closure of fi stula tract within 7-22 days with a single dose of octreotide LAR®, three (27.3%) patients required 2 doses of octreotide and achieved closure within 45-53 days. Only one patient (9.1%) required 3 somatostatin doses, with closure being documented 73 days after fistula diagnosis.

Conclusion:

A somatostatin analogue (Octreotide LAR®) is a good therapeutic alternative in the management of pancreatic fi stulae when prescribed at doses of 20 mg intramuscularly, and results in closure time shortening and a shorter hospital stay.

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