THE YALE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 57 (1984), 149-159 Acute Pancreatitis in Infants and Children

Acute pancreatitis is being encountered more often in children due to antiinetabolite ther-apy, accidental injury, and traumatic battering. Pancreatitis may occur in the absence of tra-ditionally elevated serum amylase and lipase, and initial diagnosis may depend uponl ultra-sonography. Traditional therapy of enteric rest with nasogastric suctioin has been supported by the use of parenteral nutrition. Newer pharmaceutical agents have been ineffective in altering the course of the illness or in preventing complications of pseudocyst or abscess. PANCREATITIS Acute pancreatitis is one of the major abdominal catastrophes of all age groups [1-27]. Once considered unusual in children, the disease is being seen with in-creasing frequency, and most pediatric centers now treat five to ten acute cases per year. The increase in the incidence of the disease from a previously reported figure of 1 in 500,000 children is due not only to better recognition, but also to a rise in the number of infants and children subjected to blunt abdominal trauma and to the use of therapeutic agents which may cause pancreatitis. Etiolog