ISSN:
1365-2036
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background : Occult biliary stones escape detection on conventional investigations, and clinico-biochemical systems proposed for predicting biliary pancreatitis has low predictive values.Aim : To evaluate the accuracy of clinico-biochemical parameters for prediction of biliary pancreatitis in patients undergoing endoscopic ultrasonography.Methods : Early endoscopic ultrasonography was performed on 139 patients presenting with acute pancreatitis within 24 h of admission. The aetiologies of all patients were determined after complete evaluations, and clinico-biochemical characteristics of patients with a biliary cause (biliary group) and non-biliary causes (non-biliary group) were compared.Results : Biliary pancreatitis was diagnosed in 107 patients and 32 patients had non-biliary causes. The biliary group belonged to a significantly older age group, had a female predominance, significantly more derangement of liver function and a higher incidence of severe attack of acute pancreatitis. On multivariate analysis, female sex, age 〉58 years and serum alanine aminotransferase 〉150 U/L were independent predictive factors for biliary cause of acute pancreatitis. Using these three factors for prediction of biliary cause, the sensitivity was 93% and overall accuracy was 85%.Conclusion : Clinico-biochemical prediction for biliary cause of acute pancreatitis improves in the era of endoscopic ultrasonography with a higher sensitivity and overall accuracy. In centres where endoscopic ultrasonography is inaccessible or local expertise is unavailable, clinico-biochemical prediction of biliary cause of acute pancreatitis may provide a useful alternative in the initial management of this group of patients.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02580.x
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