['It has been established in animals that somatostatin (SST) is released from pain-activated sensory nerve endings and exerts systemic antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of SST-like immunoreactivity (SST-LI) in human serum before, immediately after and 2 h after surgical operations.', '25 patients were enrolled in the study. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, abdominal wall hernia or inguinal hernia operations were performed under combined anesthesia. A 5-ml blood sample was drawn from each patient, the blood was centrifuged and the serum frozen. SST-LI was determined from the defrosted samples by radioimmunoassay.', 'Abdominal surgical operationsinduced a significant increase of SST-LI in the serum. 2 h later it was restored in the cases of laparoscopic interventions but still remained elevated after hernia surgeries.'] Does abdominal surgery performed under general anesthesia increase somatostatin-like immunoreactivity in human serum?