Diagnosis of acute pancreatitis

Abstract

The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is still mainly based on the clinical signs and symptoms of the patients. Systemic organ failure, peritonitis and/or shock indicate severe disease, but to obtain optimal results of treatment the diagnosis of individual patients at high risk should be done before the development of systemic manifestations. A number of laboratory tests are valuable in the follow-up of the patients, but immediate onset of intensive therapy cannot be based on these tests. At present, contrast enhanced CT seems to be the most accurate method for the early detection of hemorrhagic/necrotizing forms of acute pancreatitis.