The use of octreotide to successfully treat protein-losing enteropathy following the Fontan operation.

Octreotide has had limited use for the treatment of protein-losing enteropathy following the Fontan operation. We describe three cases where subcutaneous octreotide was successfully used to treat refractory protein-losing enteropathy following the Fontan operation. Patients received octreotide therapy for a period of 14-28 months. Octreotide was discontinued in one patient due to symptomatic cholelithiasis; this patient died 7 months after treatment was discontinued. Octreotide may be a useful treatment in these patients, but further study on its efficacy and mechanism of action is needed.