An 80-year-old patient presented at the Emergency Department with a 12-h history of abdominal pain located in the epigastrium, with fever and choluria. On examination, the abdomen was distended, diffusely painful and the patient was jaundiced. Analysis revealed leucocytes 12,900, 32 bands, PCR 27.5, lactate 52.8 and amylase 1231. The CT scan showed evidence of emphysematous pancreatitis (Fig. 1). The development of compartment syndrome required urgent surgical intervention, where corporocaudal necrohaemorrhagic pancreatitis was observed. The patient died after fifteen days in the intensive care unit, following three surgical revisions. The final revision revealed 1.5m ischaemia of the small intestine.
Please cite this article as: Riaño Molleda M, González Andaluz M, González Noriega M, Castillo Suescún F. Pancreatitis enfisematosa. Cir Esp. 2013;91:e59.
