A Modified CT Severity Index for Evaluating Acute Pancreatitis: Improved Correlation with Patient Outcome

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE. This study was conducted to assess the correlation with patient outcome and interobserver variability of a modified CT severity index in the evaluation of patients with acute pancreatitis compared with the currently accepted CT severity index.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Of 266 consecutive patients diagnosed with acute pancreatitis during a 1-year period, 66 underwent contrast-enhanced MDCT within 1 week of the onset of symptoms. Three radiologists who were blinded to patient outcome independently scored the severity of the pancreatitis using both the currently accepted and modified CT severity indexes. The modified index included a simplified assessment of pancreatic inflammation and necrosis as well as an assessment of extrapancreatic complications. Outcome parameters included the length of hospital stay; the need for surgery or percutaneous intervention; and the occurrences of infection, organ failure, and death. For both the current and modified indexes, correlation between the severity of the pa...