MDCT of acute mild (nonnecrotizing) pancreatitis: abdominal complications and fate of fluid collections.

Objective: The objective of our study was to describe the occurrence of local complications and the fate of fluid collections in milder forms of acute nonnecrotizing pancreatitis.

Materials And Methods: Initial MDCT studies of 169 consecutive patients with mild acute pancreatitis and 203 follow-up CT examinations were reviewed. The fate of peripancreatic fluid collections was investigated, and the incidence and type of local complications were recorded and correlated to the CT grading system (A-E).

A pattern approach to the abnormal small bowel: observations at MDCT and CT enterography.

Objective: Imaging of the vast array of pathologic processes occurring in the small bowel has been facilitated by recent advances, including the use of MDCT scanners that acquire isotropic data and neutral oral contrast agents that improve small-bowel distention.

Conclusion: This review shows how a systematic pattern approach can be used to narrow the differential diagnosis when an abnormal small-bowel loop is detected on MDCT.

CT of Meckel's diverticulitis in 11 patients.

Objective: This study reviews the CT findings of Meckel's diverticulitis in 11 patients and, to our knowledge, represents the largest series of such cases reported to date.

Conclusion: The inflamed Meckel's diverticulum may be visualized on CT in most patients, appearing as a blind-ending pouch of variable size and mural thickness and containing fluid, air, or particulate material with surrounding mesenteric inflammation. The location of the diverticulum may vary from the right lower quadrant to the mid abdomen, with most cases in this series located near midline.

Ultrasound and CT evaluation of emergent gallbladder pathology.

Ultrasound is the initial imaging modality of choice for the evaluation of suspected acute gallbladder disorders, and is often sufficient for correct diagnosis. CT also plays a vital role, however, in the evaluation of acute gallbladder pathology. CT is particularly useful in situations where ultrasound findings are equivocal.

The acute right lower quadrant: CT evaluation.

Acute right lower quadrant pain is a nonspecific but common clinical complaint. Appendicitis is the most common cause of acute right lower quadrant pain and CT has become the most reliable imaging method in the evaluation of these patients. Although there is controversy regarding the best way to perform CT in this setting, oral and i.

Complications of acute pancreatitis: clinical and CT evaluation.

Mortality of acute pancreatitis is dependent on the development of potentially lethal complications that can coexist and occur at any time following an acute attack. The nature and clinical relevance of these complications differ, contingent on the time of occurrence following a severe episode of pancreatitis. They can be divided into (1), early complications that manifest at the onset or within the first 2 to 3 days, (2) intermediate complications that occur predominantly during the second to fifth week, and (3) late complications that usually manifest months or years following the resolution of an acute attack.

Staging of acute pancreatitis.

Management of patients with acute pancreatitis is based on the early assessment of severity of disease. Initial staging is established on clinical and laboratory grounds and on the findings of contrast-enhanced CT imaging. Individual clinical parameters and laboratory indices, although sometimes helpful, are not sufficiently accurate to reliable assess the severity of an acute attack.

Acute pancreatitis: assessment of severity with clinical and CT evaluation.

Treatment of patients with acute pancreatitis is based on the initial assessment of disease severity. Severe pancreatitis occurs in 20%-30% of all patients with acute pancreatitis and is characterized by a protracted clinical course, multiorgan failure, and pancreatic necrosis. Early staging is based on the presence and degree of systemic failure (cardiovascular, pulmonary, renal) and on the presence and extent of pancreatic necrosis.