Angiographic features in acute pancreatitis: the severity of abdominal vessel ischemic change reflects the severity of acute pancreatitis.

CONTEXT

Assessment of tissue microcirculation is one of the important aspects of pathological evaluation in acute pancreatitis. Severe ischemic change sometimes leads to the development of organ dysfunction and/or infectious complications.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the angiographic features of acute pancreatitis and correlate them with the severity of the disease.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

PATIENTS

Twenty-seven consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis who had undergone angiography were retrospectively investigated.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Vascular findings and Ranson score.

RESULTS

Ischemic changes were found in 18 patients (66.7%); 11 (40.7%) were severe changes. Pseudoaneurysm, bleeding, and staining were seen in 4 (14.8%), 2 (7.4%) and 5 (18.5%) patients, respectively. The rate of severe ischemic changes was significantly correlated with the Ranson score (P=0.012). Conclusions Angiographic findings are useful for the evaluation of severe acute pancreatitis.