The Role of Ultrasound in Acute Pancreatitis

Ultrasound (US) is frequently used as an initial diagnostic study for patients suffering from acute abdominal pain (Merkle and Goerich 2002; Panzironi et al. 1997). It can both diagnose acute pancreatitis (AP) and exclude many other causes of abdominal pain (Bennett and Hann 2001; Lecesne and Drouillard 1999). Both increasing operator experience and technological advances in equipment (such as tissue harmonics), the pancreas can now be evaluated by US in over 90% of cases (Atri and Finnegan 1998; Bennett and Hann 2001; Jeffrey 1989; Karlson et al. 1999; Minniti et al. 2003). In AP, ultrasonographic evaluation is hampered in 25%–30% of patients due to over lapping gastrointestinal gas (Manfredi et al. 2001).