Acute pancreatitis in emergency department

Acute abdominal pain is one of the most frequent conditions in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common abdominal disorder with problematic diagnosis because of the lack of a gold standard diagnostic test. Determination of serum amylase levels was considered a screening test, but recent studies have shown an important group of emergency department patients who have normoamylasemia. Other clinical laboratory tests, such as urinary screening, could be useful to decrease misdiagnosed cases of AP in an emergency situation, whereas, to confirm the clinical suspicious, radiological imaging may add specificity. On admission in ED stratifying patients into different categories, according to severity score systems, may be helpful for an appropriate management.