Pancreatitis and pancreatic disorders — formative SAQs

SAQ 1 — The child on valproate with acute pancreatitis (20 marks, ~15 minutes)

An eight-year-old boy with epilepsy presents to the emergency department with a two-day history of severe, constant epigastric abdominal pain radiating to the back, nausea and vomiting. He has been on valproate for three years. On examination he is tachycardic with marked epigastric tenderness. His serum lipase is six times the upper limit of normal. An abdominal ultrasound shows an enlarged, oedematous pancreas with no gallstones. ^[9]

Questions

1. Give the diagnosis and state the NASPGHAN criteria that confirm it. (4 marks) ^[1]
2. Outline the early management in the first forty-eight hours, including fluid resuscitation, analgesia and nutrition. (6 marks) ^[2]
3. Explain the role of valproate and the immediate action required regarding the drug. (3 marks) ^[9]
4. State the position on prophylactic antibiotics and explain the reasoning. (3 marks) ^[2]
5. Outline the follow-up plan and the investigations to prevent recurrence. (4 marks) ^[5]

Model answer (must-hit)

1. The diagnosis is acute pancreatitis, likely medication-induced from valproate. The NASPGHAN criteria require at least two of three: characteristic abdominal pain (present — severe epigastric pain radiating to the back), a serum lipase or amylase at or above three times the upper limit of normal (present — six times), and imaging consistent with pancreatitis (present — enlarged oedematous pancreas on ultrasound). All three are met here, confirming the diagnosis. ^[1]

2. Early aggressive hydration with isotonic crystalloid, normal saline or lactated Ringer solution, at one and a half to two times the maintenance rate for the first twenty-four to forty-eight hours, titrated to urine output and clinical response. Adequate analgesia with age-appropriate opioids, because acute pancreatitis is severely painful and adequate analgesia does not mask surgical pathology once the diagnosis is established. Early enteral feeding within forty-eight to seventy-two hours as the child improves, starting with clear fluids and advancing to a low-fat diet, because early feeding reduces complications and length of stay compared with prolonged fasting. ^[2]

3. Valproate is one of the commonest medication causes of paediatric pancreatitis, acting through a direct toxic or idiosyncratic mechanism. It can occur at any time during treatment. The immediate action is to stop valproate and to engage the neurology team to find an alternative antiseizure medication, because continuing the drug risks recurrence. ^[9]

4. Prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended in acute pancreatitis, including in severe disease with necrosis, unless there is documented or strongly suspected infected necrosis. Routine antibiotics do not prevent infection, select resistant organisms, and do not improve outcomes. Antibiotics are reserved for proven infected necrosis, cholangitis or another documented infection. ^[2]

5. The follow-up plan includes confirming full biochemical recovery with a normal lipase before discharge, a medication review to ensure the offending drug is permanently replaced, counselling of the family on the drug trigger, and surveillance for recurrence. If the child has further episodes, a genetic panel including PRSS1, SPINK1, CFTR and CTRC, a metabolic screen for triglycerides and calcium, and a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography for ductal anatomy are indicated. ^[5]