Predictors of severity in acute pancreatitis.

Accurate predictors of severity in acute pancreatitis are sorely needed. At present, Ranson's scores provide useful information, some of which is recorded too late to be of maximal usefulness. APACHE-II scores on the day of admission and thereafter appear to provide important prognostic information that may enable the clinician to optimize patient care. CT scans, particularly those with bolus injection of i.v. contrast, help enormously in distinguishing interstitial from necrotizing pancreatitis. Most serum markers have not proven to be reliable in making this distinction.