Current management of acute idiopathic pancreatitis and acute recurrent pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis is an entity of notable importance due to its high incidence and its non-negligible morbidity and mortality. Idiopathic acute pancreatitis is that in which the cause of the clinical condition cannot be determined after an initial basic study. Understanding the underlying aetiology enables clinicians to propose a targeted treatment to reduce the risk of recurrence. Endoscopic ultrasonography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography are the tests of choice to deepen the aetiological study. The main cause is undiagnosed lithiasic disease in the initial study, whose treatment of choice is cholecystectomy. Moreover, recurrent acute pancreatitis is diagnosed after 2 or more episodes of acute pancreatitis. The objective of this review is to provide an updated approach for these 2 entities, reviewing aspects of their epidemiology, diagnosis and available alternative therapies.