[Acute pancreatitis].

Abstract

ACUTE PANCREATITIS. Acute pancreatitis (AP) is the leading cause of admission for abdominal emergencies in France, with 18,000 hospitalizations per year. The main causes are alcohol consumption and gallstones. Diagnosis is based on severe abdominal pain, an increase in lipase levels greater than three times the upper normal limit, and morphological abnormalities of the pancreas detected through imaging. Management is based on fasting with hydration and analgesics for mild forms. Severe forms require intensive care with resuscitation, more aggressive hydration and early nutrition. In the case of non-severe biliary AP, cholecystectomy should be performed promptly, ideally during the same hospital stay. Complications may arise early, with the risk of organ failure and walled-off necrosis infections in the case of severe AP, or later, such as pancreatic insufficiency or diabetes. Finally, if no cause is identified, an underlying tumor should be suspected, requiring further screening after the acute inflammation subsides through imaging techniques such as pancreatic magnetic resonance imaging or endoscopic ultrasound.