title: Severe acute pancreatitis and pregnancy.
abstract: For most patients with pregnancy-associated pancreatitis there is little maternal survival threat and only occasionally are there foetal deaths. We describe 4 young women with pregnancy-associated severe acute pancreatitis who each had gallstones. Their ages were 17, 18, 20 and 24 years. Each was a tertiary referral to our unit in Glasgow and each pursued a life-threatening course with hospital stays ranging from 37 to 90 days. One patient required pancreatic necrosectomy for infected necrosis, another had percutaneous management of a pancreatic abscess and 2 had cystogastrostomy as treatment for pancreatic pseudocyst. All underwent early endoscopic sphincterotomy and later cholecystectomy. It is important to be aware that pregnancy-associated acute pancreatitis may be severe, posing a survival threat even in the youngest patients. Gallstones, as we reported almost 20 years ago, are the most common aetiological factor in such patients.
authors.affiliation: Lister Department of Surgery, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK. kwrobertson@doctors.org.uk
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Imrie
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D042882:Gallstones / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D019283:Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed