Efficacy of prostaglandin E1 as adjuvant therapy for mild to moderate acute pancreatitis

Objective To observe the clinical effect and efficacy of prostaglandin E1( PGE1),the drug for microcirculation improvement,in the treatment of acute pancreatitis( AP). Methods A total of 80 patients with mild- to- moderate AP who were hospitalized and treated in Second Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery of the First Hospital of Jilin University from May 2014 to January 2015 were enrolled and randomized into two groups. Forty- four patients in control group received the conventional comprehensive therapy for AP,and36 patients in experiment group received PGE1 in addition to the conventional therapy. The time to disappearance of abdominal symptoms and the time for serum and urine levels of amylase and serum levels of lipase,C- reactive protein( CRP),and procalcitonin( PCT) to return to normal were compared between the two groups. The independent- samples t- test was applied for comparison of continuous data between the two groups,and the chi- square test or Fisher's exact test was applied for comparison of categorical data between the two groups.Results The two groups had significant differences in the time for serum levels of amylase and CRP and percentage of neutrophils to return to normal and hospital costs( P = 0. 041,0. 030,0. 012,and 0. 026,respectively). PGE1 quickly relieved abdominal pain and distention,reduced the serum level of amylase,shortened the length of hospital stay,and reduced hospital costs. Conclusion PGE1 has good clinical effect and safety in the treatment of AP,and can be applied as an adjuvant drug in the comprehensive therapy for AP.