OCTREOTIDE MAY PREVENT DEFINITIVE INTESTINAL-OBSTRUCTION

Partial Dowel obstruction is indistinguishable om definitive obstructi on at the onset of symptoms. No consensus exists regarding the treatme nt of potentially reversible states of bowel obstruction. On the basis of previous experience, octreotide was used in two patients with chro nic intestinal obstruction, resulting in good control of intestinal sy mptoms and maintenance of a prolonged adequate intestinal transit, pre venting the occurrence of definitive bowel obstruction. The results ob served stress the early use of octreotide in such delicate clinical si tuations. (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 1997.