Determinants of Severity in Acute Pancreatitis: A Nation-wide Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare and validate the different classifications of severity in acute pancreatitis (AP) and to investigate which characteristics of the disease are associated with worse outcomes.

Summary Of Background Data: AP is a heterogeneous disease, ranging from uneventful cases to patients with considerable morbidity and high mortality rates. Severity classifications based on legitimate determinants of severity are important to correctly describe the course of disease.

Advances in the endoscopic management of pancreatic collections.

Treatment of pancreatic collections has experienced great progress in recent years with the emergence of alternative minimally invasive techniques comparing to the classic surgical treatment. Such techniques have been shown to improve outcomes of morbidity vs surgical treatment. The recent emergence of endoscopic drainage is noteworthy.

Prospective observational study of the incidental findings on endoscopic ultrasonography: should a complete exploration always be performed?

Objectives: To quantify the additional non-suspected new diagnoses made on upper endosonography (EUS) which were unknown before the procedure, and to analyse their influence on the management of patients. A further objective was to evaluate the influence that previous radiological or endoscopic explorations have on the capacity of EUS to diagnose these unsuspected lesions.

Material And Methods: During a 2-year period every patient sent to our unit for upper EUS underwent a complete investigation, after signing an informed consent document.