[Lipase/amylase ratio and liver function tests for the etiological assessment of acute pancreatitis: facts and fiction].

Acute pancreatitis represents the 0.15-1.5% of all diagnoses in the Emergency Room. Biliary diseases and alcohol abuse are the two mainly etiological factors of this illness in Italy. From a clinical point of view, the course of alcoholic and biliary acute pancreatitis is the same; however, because the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography associated with endoscopic sphincterotomy can prevent further complications in patients with severe biliary pancreatitis, it is important to early recognize the biliary origin of the disease. On the other hand, the identification of alcoholic origin of pancreatitis can prevent interventional procedures not useful in this kind of patients. In this paper we will assess the markers able to early identify the etiology of this acute illness such as the liver function tests and the lipase/amylase ratio.