Background: Acute pancreatitis represents a significant number of hospital admissions. Most of the patients are admitted in an acute setting. Early identification of its etiology is an essential step toward the rational approach, both for its implications in the immediate therapy and the prevention of recurrence. Although often obvious, the etiological workup of acute pancreatitis can be challenging. Conclusion: There are several studies emphasizing the multiple etiologies underlying acute pancreatitis but lacking structured diagnostic workups to allow a rational and organized study. The main goal of this work is to develop an algorithm proposal, which aims to serve as a guide for the investigation of the etiology of acute pancreatitis based on a review of already published literature, adjusted to the reality of our hospital and the available resources.

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