CLINICAL EXPERIENCE Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis in a Young Child Following Valproic Acid Therapy Clinical and Ultrasonic Assessment

Hemorrhagic pancreatitis was diagnosed with portable realtime ultrasound in a critically ill 4-year-old child. The ultrasonic features were diffuse pancreatic en-largement, generally and focally increased pancreatic echogenicity, and ascites. Ultrasound was indispensable as a portable noninvasive imaging modality that allowed for rapid and accurate diagnosis. HEMORRHAGIC PANCREATITIS is the most lethal form of pancreatic inflammation. Accurate early diagnosis allows early inauguration of appropriate therapy. We recently encountered a young child who developed hemorrhagic pancreatitis after valproic acid therapy for a seizure disorder. Portable realtime ul-trasound (US) was used to examine this moribund pa-tient in the intensive care unit. The ultrasonic features observed were diffuse pan-creatic enlargement, diffuse increased pancreati