[Acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Synoptic observation of clinical and pathologic-anatomical findings]

In 95 patients with acute necrotising pancreatitis the clinical severity of the disease was compared with morphological criteria of operative specimens. In addition, various morphological phenomena, typical in acute and chronic pancreatitis, were investigated in 3 aetiologically different groups. In these groups pathohistologic alterations, associated with aetiological factors, were seen frequently. Furthermore, there was a good correlation between classifications according to gravity criteria in the assessment of the underlying disease. About 90% of cases clinically classified as acute pancreatitis proved, on the basis of the morphology, to be chronic recurrent pancreatitis. It thus follows that "genuine" acute pancreatitis is a rather rare syndrome.