Clinical History.—This 5-year-old boy was admitted to Valley Children's Hospital in Fresno, Calif, following a two-day history of vomiting and severe abdominal pain. Physical examination showed a critically ill child with a silent, rigid abdomen. Intensive medical management was instituted, and several days later roentgenograms of the abdomen were obtained (Fig 1). The child re- covered from his acute illness, and five weeks later an epigastric mass was palpated. An upper gastrointestinal series was performed (Fig 2).
Acute Hemorrhagic Pancreatitis With Recovery and Formation of Pancreatic Pseudocyst
Acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis is a rather unusual condition in children. It is of variable, often unknown etiology and is associated with a mortality of 50% to 75%. Death usually results from bleeding, shock, infection, or cardiorespiratory, renal, and hepatic failure.This child was admitted with a possible diagnosis of ruptured appendix. Because of the somewhat atypical history, a serum amylase was obtained