[Treatment of acute necrotizing pancreatitis]

Acute pancreatitis (AP) has an annual incidence of 30-45 per 100,000 inhabitants. In Germany approximately one third of the cases are of biliary or alcoholic origin. The diagnosis is based on the typical epigastric pain with radiation and a threefold increase of lipase or amylase in serum. Imaging procedures only rarely need to be included for the primary diagnostics. An early risk assessment is important to be able to allocate patients with severe AP to surveillance in an intensive care unit (ICU). Elevation of blood urea nitrogen, hematocrit and blood glucose are early predictors of poor outcome.The removal of impacted gall-stones by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) is the only causal treatment of biliary AP, which must be carried out when there are signs of cholangitis and in severe biliary AP. Pain management and early fluid substitution are the most important symptomatic approaches. In the early phase of AP 150-250 ml/h of crystalloid solution should be administered to compensate for the extravasal loss of fluid. In certain cases, the initial fluid requirement might be even higher. In the ICU setting echocardiography and advanced hemodynamic monitoring are available for guidance. Prophylactic antibiotic treatment is not recommended in mild AP and it is a matter of debate even in severe AP. Early enteral nutrition has been shown to improve the outcome. Even in cases of fluid collection and necrosis a primary surgery approach should be avoided in favor of a "step-up" procedure with radiologically guided drainage as well as endoscopic and if necessary video-assisted percutaneous retroperitoneal débridement. Surgery remains an option for complications and for infected necrosis which cannot be reached by any other means.