Background: Acute and chronic pancreatitis are becoming increasingly more severe diseases in the western world with far-reaching consequences for the individual patient as well as the socioeconomic situation. This article gives an overview of the contribution of radiological imaging to the diagnostics and therapy of both forms of the disease.
Results: Acute pancreatitis can be subdivided into severe (20%) and mild manifestations. The diagnostics should be performed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing necrosis or potential infections only in severe forms of pancreatitis. In chronic pancreatitis transabdominal ultrasound should initially be adequate for assessment of the pancreas. For the differential diagnosis between pancreatic carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis, MRI with magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) followed by an endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration is the method of choice.
Conclusion: For the primary diagnosis for acute and chronic pancreatitis ultrasound examination is the modality of first choice followed by radiological CT and MRI with MRCP examinations.
Keywords: Acute pancreatitis; Chronic pancreatitis; Computed tomography; Guidelines; Magnetic resonance imaging.