Irving, TX – Dec 21, 2018 – Acute pancreatitis is a painful and deadly inflammatory condition of the pancreas. Its diagnosis is not easy and causes delayed treatment since the organ is also not easily accessible. Imaging techniques do not work with pancreatitis; surgery is the only way to access the pancreas. For the past 20 years, the mortality rate of acute pancreatitis remains at approximately 10%. Patients continue to endure pain and malnutrition, with a likely high risk of pancreatic cancer.

“The common causal factor for acute pancreatitis is gallstones,” explained Susan Echt. "When gallstones get stuck in the bile duct and impinge on the pancreatic duct, they obstruct the normal flow of the pancreatic fluid. This will either cause injury to the pancreas or cause a backflow of bile into the pancreatic duct."

Here are the methods used to test and diagnose acute pancreatitis:

• Diagnosis – Acute pancreatitis can be confirmed by a physical examination, a patient's medical history, a blood test (amylase or lipase) for the digestive enzymes of the pancreas. In acute pancreatitis, the level of blood amylase or lipase rise three times more than normal. When blood tests show no increase in these levels, a CT is performed.

• Transabdominal ultrasound – It is carried out to evaluate the gallbladder for stones. It is a procedure that uses sound waves. The echoes of the sound waves generate electrical impulses to create images (sonogram) on a video monitor and the location of gallstones.

• Endoscopic ultrasounds – They are relatively invasive and allows physicians to see the images of the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. The images are sensitive in detecting small gallbladder stones and bile ducts. Endoscopic ultrasounds can check the pancreas for abnormalities.

• Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography – It uses magnetic resonance imaging to produce images of parts of the body. It is a sensitive test that evaluates the bile duct, gallbladder and pancreas to find the cause of acute pancreatitis.

“Patients with severe acute pancreatitis should be hospitalized with intensive care,” continued Susan Echt. “They are likely to develop more complications in a few days. Most patients will undergo surgery to remove gallstones if found to be the cause of the disease."

About The Sandler-Kenner Foundation

The Sandler-Kenner Foundation, established in 2007 as the Las Colinas Cancer Center Foundation, was renamed in early 2011 in the memory of Michael Sandler and Peter Kenner, both of whom passed away from pancreatic cancer, a lethal disease that is difficult to diagnose until it has reached an advanced stage.

Visit them at https://helpfightpancreaticcancer.org/facts-about-pancreatic-cancer/treatment-drugs-for-pancreatic-cancer/ to know more.