title: Evaluation of necrotizing pancreatitis in the opossum by dynamic contrast-enhanced computed tomography: correlation between radiographic and morphologic changes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The ability to quantitate the extent of acinar cell necrosis with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) during acute pancreatitis is uncertain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Acute hemorrhagic necrotizing pancreatitis was induced in opossums by obstructing their biliopancreatic duct for up to seven days or by retrograde injection of a bile-trypsin taurocholate mixture into the opossum pancreatic duct. At selected times, groups of three animals each were examined by dynamic contrast-enhanced CT, and the abnormalities on the images were quantitated. Immediately following CT, the animals were sacrificed and the extent of necrosis was quantitated by morphometric analysis of tissue samples at the light microscope level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CT severity score as well as the degree of nonenhancement on dynamic contrast-enhanced CT were both closely correlated with the extent of acinar cell necrosis (r = 0.91 and r = 0.97, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The degree of pancreatic nonenhancement on dynamic contrast-enhanced CT can be used to quantitate the extent of pancreatic necrosis during acute necrotizing pancreatitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rünzi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Raptopoulos
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Saluja
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nishino
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gerdes
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Steer
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D009336:Necrosis; D009893:Opossums; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed