Acute pancreatitis in pregnancy—Up to date

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Acute pancreatitis during pregnancy is a rare event with wide variation in the incidence, ranging from 1:1000 to 1:10000. Pancreatitis in pregnancy presents the same etiological causes as in general population. However, differences are observed in the underlying mechanisms and the prevalence of each cause in the pregnant population. Acute pancreatitis is a complicated in diagnosis and treatment disease with various complications and severe prognosis in general population as well as pregnant women. The severity of acute pancreatitis is probably the most important issue that must be elucidated as early as possible since pancreatitis is an evolving disease. Clinical characteristics of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy do not differ from the non-pregnancy state. The most important disease during the first trimester which should be differentiated from acute pancreatitis is hyperemesis gravidarum. Complications of acute pancreatitis affect differently the mother and the fetus during pregnancy. Management of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy is a controversial issue since the initial treatment is similar to the non-pregnant patient but the subsequent management might differ due to the risk of fetal disturbances or teratogenesis. The initial management of acute pancreatitis is restricted in aggressive intravenous hydration. The interventional treatment of acute pancreatitis in pregnancy can be divided into three subcategories; the operational intervention for the disease itself, the operational intervention for biliary tract cormobidities and the endoscopic intervention. In conclusion, the initial assessment of acute pancreatitis severity and the initial management of the patient are of great importance in order to support the function and avoid failure of main organs.