Table 1.

Diagnostic criteria of acute pancreatitis

Diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is established by the presence of two of the following three features:
Abdominal pain consistent with acute pancreatitis (acute onset of a persistent, severe, epigastric pain often radiating to the back).
Serum lipase activity (or amylase activity) at least three times greater than the upper limit of normal.
Characteristic findings of acute pancreatitis on contrast-enhanced computed tomography and less commonly magnetic resonance imaging or transabdominal ultrasonography

Reprinted from reference 1, with permission.