Acute pancreatitis: value and impact of CT severity index.

Acute pancreatitis is a disease with a broad spectrum of findings that varies in severity from mild interstitial or edematous pancreas to severe forms with significant local and systemic complications that are associated with a substantial degree of morbidity and mortality. Several scoring systems are used to assess the severity and predict the outcome and prognosis of acute pancreatitis. These include the Ranson, Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) and Glasgow scales.