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. The CT severity index (CTSI) derived by Balthazar et al. has become widely used for description of CT findings in acute pancreatitis. The purpose of this project was to examine the current best evidence about regarding the effect of using a CTSI on patient outcome and its value in comparison with other widely used scoring systems.