Diagnostic imaging of acute pancreatitis: prospective study using CT and sonography.

A prospective study using sonography and computed tomography (CT) was performed on 102 patients consecutively identified as having acute pancreatitis to see which method provided the most information. Each examination was graded for visualization of the pancreas, extent of disease, and the detection of complications. CT was found to be of significantly greater value than sonography due to the high percentage (38%) of nondiagnostic studies with the latter method. Of the 102 patients, 70% had abnormal CT studies, including 18% with extrapancreatic phlegmons, 10% with pseudocysts, 5% with acute hemorrhage, and 3% with pancreatic abscesses.