Assessing the Degree of Severity of Acute Pancreatitis by Using Multiparameter Scores.

AIM: To establish a clinical severity diagnosis and a therapeutical strategy in acute pancreatitis (A.P.) by using multiparameter bioclinical and morphological scores. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 71 patients, diagnosed with A.P., between 2012-2016, admitted to the surgical clinics of the Military Emergency Hospital "Dr. Stefan Odobleja" and the Clinical County Emergency Hospital of Craiova, were investigated, following the severity diagnosis, both at admission and in evolution, with the aim of obtaining an optimal therapeutic approach. The Ranson, Imre, Marshall, Balthazar and EPIC scores were used. RESULTS: By analyzing specially the values of the computer tomography severity index of the study group patients, 14.29% of patients were classified as light severity AP with favorable prognosis, 37.14% of patients moderate severity AP, and 48.57% severe AP. The examination of the CT, one of the most important diagnosis tests for AP, established that 34.29% of patients suffered from AP in Balthazar grade B and 22.85% Balthazar grade C, the severity forms we encountered most in our study. The correlation between HCT (hematocrit) value and Ranson score presents a Pearson correlation coefficient r of-0.339, which indicates the existence of a statistically significant inversely proportional relation. CONCLUSION: Corroboration of the bioclinical and imagistic data, summed as multiparameter scores, allowed us to classify AP into different severity forms: moderate severity AP (14.29%), moderate-severe AP (37.14%) and severe AP (48.57%), which will then facilitate choosing the right therapeutic approach.

Utilizing Multiparameter Scores and Procalcitonin as Prognosis Markers for the Degree of Severity of Acute Pancreatitis.

AIM: Corroborating the Ranson, Marshall, computer tomography severity index (EPIC score) multiparameter tests with the biological marker procalcitonin in order to establish the degree of severity of acute pancreatitis for therapeutic management and rate of complications. MATERIAL AND METHOD: 20 patients were surveyed, diagnosed with acute pancreatitis in the surgery clinic of the Military Emergency Hospital Dr. Ștefan Odobleja, between 2016-2017, with the aim of determining the clinical, etiological and severity diagnosis by corroborating the multiparameter scores with the plasma level of procalcitonin. RESULTS: Following the use of multiparameter scores to identify the degree of severity of acute pancreatitis, we established that the best prediction is achieved by the Ranson score and the computer tomography severity index (EPIC score), with an accuracy of 90% . As for the values of the correlation coefficient, this was highly significant when correlating Ranson score and procalcitonin (r = 0.918). Other correlations were also highly significant, with values of r = 0.797 when correlating EPIC score and procalcitonin, and r = 0.736 when correlating Marshall score with procalcitonin. CONCLUSION: Our study achieved an early identification of the severe form of acute pancreatitis, by using the multiparameter tests and the biologic marker procalcitonin, allowing for the appropriate therapy to be implemented and thus decreasing the complication rate of this pathological entity. Levels of serum procalcitonin exceeded the normal limit of 2 ng/ml for 37.5% of the intermediate - severe form patients, and for 100% of the severe form patients. The levels of procalcitonin were highly correlated with the Ranson score, with a slightly lower correlation for the Marshall and EPIC scores.