[Changes in the management of acute pancreatitis as related to its pathogenesis]

Although acute pancreatitis runs a benign self limiting course in 80% of cases, acute necrotizing form of it still remained a severe disease associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Severity assessment thus plays an important role in identifying patients with high risk of local and/or systemic complications. Locally, development of necrosis especially if it becomes infected accounts for high mortality, but systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and multiple organ failure (MOF) following necrosis further increases the risk of fatal outcome. Several scoring systems, contrast-enhanced CT scan can help to recognize patients requiring early intensive management. Prophylactic systemic antibiotic treatment and nasojejunal feeding improves prognosis by decreasing the gut derived infection of necrosis. CT guided fine needle aspiration sample must be cultured to detect infection. Conservative therapy should be continued while necrosis remains sterile, but surgical and/or CT guided percutaneous catheter drainage is mandatory when infected necrosis developed. Results of therapeutic influence on the proinflammatory cytokine cascade in acute pancreatitis are still controversial. Enteral feeding seems to be the only proven tool in attenuating acute phase response and improving disease severity.