IMAGING AND INTERVENTION IN ACUTE-PANCREATITIS

An International Symposium was held in Atlanta in 1992 to present the state of th art of diagnostic evaluation and management of acute pancr eatitis and to agree on an acceptable series of clinical definitions f or classifying the disease and its complications. The symposium was co mposed of 40 internationally recognized experts in pancreatic disease from 15 countries representing six disciplines (anatomy, gastroenterol ogy, internal medicine, pathology radiology, and surgery). The purpose of this article is to present the radiologically relevant aspects of the symposium; to define the state of the art of imaging and intervent ion in acute pancreatitis, particularly how and when to use computed t omography and how and when to perform percutaneous therapy versus surg ery; and to encourage radiologists to use precise and proper nomenclat ure when describing the morphologic manifestations of acute pancreatit is as depicted by various imaging modalities.