The clinical significance of acute pancreatic hemorrhage.

Computed tomography (CT) has the ability to demonstrate acute hemorrhage both within the pancreatic parenchyma and the adjacent retroperitoneal spaces. It was found that during the acute phase of pancreatic hemorrhage (about 1-7 days) the CT number of hemorrhage is significantly greater than that of the gland. At the present time the true incidence of pancreatic hemorrhage and the relation of the CT demonstration of hemorrhage to the clinical entity of hemorrhagic pancreatitis is unclear. The CT, laboratory, and clinical findings in eight patients with acute pancreatitis were analyzed to help answer these questions. This limited experience suggests pancreatic hemorrhage is more frequent than hemorrhagic pancreatitis as currently defined clinically.