EFFECT OF OCTREOTIDE ON ANAL PRESSURE AND RECTAL COMPLIANCE

The somatostatin analog, octreotide, has previously bren found to infl uence rectal sensation and may also influence anal resting pressure. M ETHODS: We studied the effect of octreotide on;anal resting pressure a nd rectal compliance in eight healthy patients;Octreotide was administ ered intravenously as a bolus injection in doses of 100 and 10 mu g or as infusion of 250 mu g/hour on separate days and compared with place bo. RESULTS: Within one minute after a bolus injection of 100 mu g of octreotide, anal resting pressure increased from SG +/- 12 to 96 +/- 1 6 cm H2O (P < 0.005). Octreotide had no effect on rectal sensitivity o r compliance measurements, Octreotide counteracted rectoanal reflex by increasing anal pressure almost to the level found with an empty rect um. CONCLUSION: Somatostatin thus stems to contribute to the regulatio n of rectoanal reflex.