New features: calculate the original and modified CT severity indices for acute pancreatitis

If you report acute CT studies done to assess acute pancreatitis quantifying the CT severity index (CTSI) is more or less a must. It is relatively easy to assess key features which contribute to these scores, and while doing so it also aids you as a checklist and a safeguard, decreasing your chance of missing major complications. It is also an easily expressible benchmark and indicator to guide management, and also gives a fair estimate of the possibility of further complications down the line.

For historical reasons I have provided a calculator for the original CTSI (which itself is in fact an upgrade of the earlier Balthazar score). In most situations however using the more comprehensive and detailed modified CTSI is recommended. As always: make sure to consult national/institutional guidelines regarding this issue. Finally, an important caveat: it is good practice to specify the scoring system which you have used in your report. E.g. “modified CTSI: 6” clearly conveys which system was used – ambigous terminology should be avoided.