Pancreatitis as a medical emergency.

Pancreatitis in its acute form, whether from alcohol or gallstones, can be a severe, devastating illness. Patients presumed to have the disease require aggressive fluid therapy and imaging of the pancreas by ultrasound and computed tomography (CT). They should be managed in an intensive care setting until the course of the illness is determined. Surgical intervention is reserved for cases in which extensive pancreatic necrosis or infection is demonstrated by CT scan.