Clinical presentations of acute pancreatitis--the value of computed tomography.

Acute pancreatitis may present with a wide variety of clinical findings and may mimic other medical or surgical conditions. Three patients with acute pancreatitis are presented with clinical features of intestinal obstruction, perinephric abscess, and severe abdominal pain, respectively. The diagnosis and mode of spread of the inflammatory process in these patients was made by computed tomography. The value of computed tomography in the diagnosis of unusual extrapancreatic manifestations of acute pancreatitis is emphasized.