- A common presentation and a surgical emergency
- Results from an inflammatory process in the pancreas leading to a multisystem disease characterized by a systemic inflammatory response and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome
Pancreatitis is typically established by the presence of two of the following criteria:
1. Abdominal pain consistent with the disease
2. Serum amylase and/or lipase greater than three times the upper limit of normal
3. Characteristic findings from abdominal imaging