ACUTE-PANCREATITIS

Ascariasis is an important cause of acute pancreatitis in endemic area s, as are drugs such as dideoxyinosine and pentamidine in patients wit h HIV infection. Pancreatic exocrine function is substantially depress ed early in acute pancreatitis but generally returns to normal. To est imate prognosis, new predictors and predictor systems continue to be d eveloped, although no single predictor or system appears clearly super ior. Recent studies evaluating somatostatin or its analogues in the tr eatment or prevention of acute pancreatitis have yielded disappointing results. Early endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography reduces the frequency of biliary sepsis in gallstone pancreatitis but does no t affect the course of pancreatitis, whereas endoscopic stenting of th e minor papilla reduces the likelihood of recurrence of acute pancreat itis in patients with pancreas divisum.