Effect of two different preparations of somatostatin on intra-portal pressure in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Somatostatin has been found by most authors to reduce splanchnic blood flow and hepatic venous wedge pressure. High success rates in treating oesophageal varicose bleeding have been reported by some authors, while others have been unable to confirm these findings. A reason for the discrepancies might be that different preparations of somatostatin were used. Consequently, two preparations of somatostatin were administered to three cirrhotic patients as 60-min infusions at a dosage of 250 micrograms/h. The intra-portal pressure was measured before and during the infusions and found to be unaffected by both preparations. The findings suggest that previously demonstrated reductions in portal pressure may have been of brief duration, possibly due to vascular autoregulation.
D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008104:Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011168:Portal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors