Early CT Diagnosis of Acute Pancreatitis: Imaging Pearls and Clinical Impact
Acute Interstitial Pancreatitis: CT Findings Every Radiologist Must Recognize Introduction Acute pancreatitis remains one of the most common gastrointestinal emergencies encountered worldwide. In the United States alone, hundreds of thousands of emergency department visits each year are attributed to acute pancreatic inflammation. Rapid diagnosis is essential because early recognition can significantly influence treatment decisions, hospitalization requirements, and patient outcomes. Modern multidetector CT has become the cornerstone of imaging evaluation for patients presenting with severe abdominal pain and suspected pancreatic disease. Beyond merely confirming the diagnosis, CT helps determine disease severity, identify complications, guide management decisions, and predict prognosis. In this case study, we review a 56-year-old woman presenting with upper abdominal pain whose CT examination demonstrated classic imaging findings of acute interstitial pancreatitis. Patient Story A 56-...