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Acute pancreatitis: the difficulties of diagnosis and therapy
Insights
Acute pancreatitis in children, though uncommon, is increasingly recognized. Advances in diagnostics aid in identifying causes like trauma, biliary disease, and viral infections, guiding non-surgical treatment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Gastroenterology
- Hepatology
- Pancreatology
Background:
- Acute pancreatitis in children is an uncommon yet increasingly diagnosed condition.
- Improved diagnostic tools have enhanced recognition of pediatric acute pancreatitis.
Observation:
- Twenty-four pediatric patients with acute pancreatitis were reviewed.
- The study examined various clinical manifestations and therapeutic approaches.
Findings:
- Diagnostic advancements include serum amylase isoenzymes, amylase/creatinine ratio, ultrasonography, ERCP, CAT scans, and peritoneal lavage.
- Identified etiological factors included trauma, biliary disease, viral infections (mumps), and steroid therapy.
- All patients in the series survived their acute pancreatitis episode.
Implications:
- Enhanced diagnostic capabilities are crucial for timely recognition and management of pediatric acute pancreatitis.
- Understanding causative factors aids in targeted prevention and treatment strategies.
- Non-surgical management is preferred unless specific surgical indications exist.
Abstract:
Acute pancreatitis in children is uncommon but is being recognized frequently. Twenty-four children provided clinical data to review the various manifestations and therapy of acute pancreatitis, all of these patients having survived a clinical episode. Recognition of acute pancreatitis has been improved by the advent of new diagnostic procedures such as serum amylase isoenzymes, amylase/creatinine ratio, ultrasonography, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan, and peritoneal lavage. The causative factors in our series were: trauma, biliary disease,, viral (mumps), and steroid therapy. Treatment of acute pancreatitis was nonsurgical unless a specific surgical lesion was present.