Pancreatitis can be detected by means of patient’s symptoms combined with physical examination, laboratory tests and imaging tests.
1. Symptoms: Abdominal pain is often induced in patients with pancreatitis after drinking or overeating, and symptoms such as jaundice, vomiting and nausea may also occur.
2. Physical examination: Pancreatitis may be characterized by mid- to upper-abdominal tenderness or an abdominal mass on palpation.
3. Laboratory examination: patients with pancreatitis have abnormal lipase and serum and urine amylase indices.
4. Imaging: Pancreatitis can also be diagnosed by means of ultrasound and CT, in which edema and stones in the pancreatic area can be seen on CT.
Pancreatitis generally needs to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible, if not treated in time may cause symptoms to worsen, and in severe cases may be life-threatening.