MANAGEMENT OF PANCREATITIS

Acute pancreatitis (AP) has been defined as an acute inflammatory process of the pancreas,with variable involvement of other regional tissues or remote organ systems.Diagnosis of AP is based on the finding of acute attacks of abdominal pain and tenderness in the epigastric region, nausea and vomiting associated with multiple signs that may vary from mild tenderness to generalized peritonitis up to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).Laboratory diagnosis of AP should be started once working diagnosis of AP is started. Serum amylase and lipase are the main diagnostic factors. However individual studies support the superiority of the lipase.Many imaging devices are helpful in diagnosing AP (e.g. ultrasound scanning (US), endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), computed tomography (CT) and more recently magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography ( MRCP)). There is abnormal diagnostic imagings finding in the pancreas associated with AP (e.g. isolated diffuse or focal enlargement of the gland to peripancreatic stranding and peripancreatic fluid collections and pancreatic gland necrosis).