Pancreatic clamp tests
In order to achieve a maximal possible suppression of endogenous insulin, glucagon and growth hormone release during hyperinsulinaemic clamp tests, a concomitant infusion of somatostatin can be applied (Gottesman etal. 1982; Best etal. 1983; Basu etal. 2000). Glucose clamp tests applying an infusion of somatostatin are commonly referred to as pancreatic clamp tests. Most investigators start the somatostatin infusion a few minutes before or simultaneously with the start of the insulin infusion. The infusion rates of somatostatin vary largely throughout the literature, ranging from 250 ^g per hour (Gottesman etal. 1982; Hawkins etal. 2002) to 360 ^g per hour (Henriksen etal. 2000) to 0.1^g-kg-1-min-1 (Krssak etal. 2004). One frequently reported side effect of high dose somatostatin infusions is abdominal discomfort. The use of somatostatin can be advantageous when stimulation of endogenous insulin secretion by substrates or pharmacological agents is to be minimised. One should be aware that somatostatin may affect the rate of glucose utilisation by suppression of the secretion of glucagon and growth hormone or even by other mechanisms (Bergman etal. 1984).
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