Can ultrasound detect pancreatitis?

Ultrasound is mostly able to detect pancreatitis, only in the early stage of the onset of acute pancreatitis, because the patient’s abdominal distension is more pronounced, so it will affect the visual field observation and will influence the operator’s judgment. However, ultrasound should be used as a routine initial screening. In acute pancreatitis, ultrasound can reveal pancreatic enlargement and abnormal intrapancreatic and peripancreatic echogenicity. In addition, ultrasound can be performed to understand the condition of the gallbladder and bile ducts, and in the later stages of pancreatitis, it is diagnostic for abscesses and pseudocysts.  However, for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis or chronic pancreatitis, laboratory tests, such as blood and urine amylase tests, and blood biochemical tests, are also required. In particular, patients with acute pancreatitis need to check the blood routine, C-reactive protein, blood glucose and blood calcium in the blood biochemistry, and other indicators are very important for determining the severity of pancreatitis, and the laboratory test needed for chronic pancreatitis is the exocrine function test. In addition, for patients whose tests are not completely clear, imaging tests such as pancreatic CT and pancreatic MRI are also needed.