Potential indications for octreotide in endocrinology.

Treatment with Sandostatin is established in acromegaly, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-producing pituitary, and endocrine-active gastroenteropancreatic tumors. Potential indications include ectopic hormone syndromes, medullary thyroid carcinomas, pituitary resistance to thyroid hormones, tall stature children, diabetes mellitus and diabetic complications, polycystic ovary syndrome, and Graves' ophthalmopathy. Particularly in the ectopic growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) syndrome, Sandostatin is unequivocally effective and, in the ectopic corticotropin syndrome selected cases can be treated successfully with Sandostatin, leading to marked clinical improvement. In many of the above situations, only subgroups show a response to Sandostatin, which may be identified by scintigraphy with labeled Sandostatin. This pertains also to Graves' ophthalmopathy, for which Sandostatin may be particularly promising and where positive and negative Sandostatin scans have been demonstrated. However, for all these potential indications, larger, well-studied series are needed, before definitive conclusions can be drawn.