Pancreatitis Diagnosis: A Summary
Besides asking about a person's medical history and doing a physical exam, a doctor may order blood or urine tests and possibly imaging tests to diagnose
pancreatitis.
Diagnosing Pancreatitis With Blood Tests
During
acute pancreatitis attacks, the blood contains at least three times more amylase and lipase than usual. Amylase and lipase are digestive enzymes formed in the
pancreas. In acute pancreatitis, changes may also occur in blood levels of glucose,
calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, and bicarbonate. After the pancreas improves, these levels usually return to normal.
Tests and Procedures for Diagnosing Pancreatitis
In order to help diagnosis pancreatitis, a doctor may also order an abdominal ultrasound to look for gallstones and a CAT scan (also known as CT scan, or computerized axial tomography) to look for inflammation, destruction of the pancreas, or calcification of the pancreas, in which tissue hardens from deposits of insoluble calcium salts. CAT scans are also useful in locating pseudocysts.
A doctor may also recommend an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a procedure that allows a doctor to see problems that suggest
chronic pancreatitis.
