Somatostatin Infusions Reduce Post-Operative Bile Leak after Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery: An Observational Preliminary Study

Background: Bile leak is a complication of hepatopancreatobiliary surgery and results from injury to the bile ducts. Treatment usually consists of percutaneous drainage combined with the placement of a biliary stent or a nasobiliary draining tube in the biliary tree via endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Animal experiments and studies in humans have shown that somatostatin reduces bile secretion.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of somatostatin as a conservative monotherapy for the successful management of mild to moderate post-operative bile leak.
Place and Duration of Study: 2nd Department of at the University General Hospital of Alexandroupolis, during the period of 2010 and 2012.
Patients and Methods: Fifteen patients (11male/4 female) with a mean age of 70.1±4.2 years who developed uncomplicated post-operative bile leak with a daily output ranging from 100ml to 800ml were included in the study. Eleven patients were operated for benign diseases of the liver and biliary tract, while the rest 4 patients for pancreatic or biliary tract malignancies. Somatostatin was administered intravenously to all patients in continuous infusions of 3000μg/12hours until complete recession of bile leak along with total parenteral nutrition.
Results: Somatostatin treatment was successful in 14 patients (93.3%), with success being defined as the complete cessation of bile leak. Overall, mean duration of bile leak was 13.8±3.9 days. No major adverse reactions or complications were observed and no patients died.
Conclusions: Somatostatin appears to be effective in the treatment of post-operative bile leak. The efficacy of somatostatin is observed both in patients with benign or malignant disease.