Medical image of the week: necrotizing pancreatitis

• Main Authors: Desai H, Elani T, Parsa NA, Ahmad K
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Arizona Thoracic Society 2015-08-01
• Series: Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care
• Subjects: pancreatitis; necrotizing pancreatitis; CT scan; pericardial effusion; symptoms; dyspnea; treatment; laparotomy; respiratory failure; inflammation
• Online Access: http://www.swjpcc.com/imaging/2015/8/19/medical-image-of-the-week-necrotizing-pancreatitis.html

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. A 60-year-old man with a past medical history significant for coronary artery disease status post percutaneous coronary intervention was admitted to Banner University Medical Center for acute pancreatitis complicated by a pericardial effusion requiring pericardiocentesis. The following day, the patient developed severe shortness of breath requiring increasing amounts of supplemental oxygen. The patient was emergently transferred to ICU for noninvasive bilevel positive airway pressure ventilation, but he subsequently required intubation. Throughout his worsening condition, he denied any abdominal pain, only relaying ongoing substernal chest pain. His troponins, however, remained negative and echocardiography failed to show any reaccumulation of the pericardial effusion. CT scan of the chest failed to show any pulmonary embolism. But, CT abdomen displayed acute pancreatitis complicated by peripancreatic gas consistent with necrotizing pancreatitis (Figure 1). Emergent laparotomy was completed. There were no signs of stomach or duodenal perforation. Purulent fluid was removed from the lesser sac and ...