[The management of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy--the coadjuvant role of parenteral feeding].

Acute pancreatitis in pregnancy is not a frequent condition: only a few hundred cases have been published in the literature. Its diagnosis can be misguided by clinical manifestations of the pregnancy itself, and by the delay in ordering the required diagnostic tests. These facts may contribute to the serious prognosis of this disease, which in the past had a mortality of up to 20%. The treatment recommended is conservative. A surgical intervention in the event of biliary lithiasis is best to be postponed till after delivery. Parenteral alimentation can be helpful because of its effects in the promotion of pancreatic rest with simultaneous improvement of the nutritional conditions of the mother and the fetus.