Idiopathic acute pancreatitis: a review on etiology and diagnostic work-up

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common disease associated with a substantial medical and financial burden, and with an incidence across Europe ranging from 4.6 to 100 per 100,000 population. Although most cases of AP are caused by gallstones or alcohol abuse, several other causes may be responsible for acute inflammation of the pancreatic gland. Correctly diagnosing AP etiology is a crucial step in the diagnostic and therapeutic work-up of patients...