Acute pancreatitis as a complication of polyarteritis nodosa.

Conclusions: Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) must be considered as one of the rare causes of "idiopathic" acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Background: PAN is characterized by panmural inflammation of arterioles causing arteriolar ectasia, aneurysm formation, and thrombosis, resulting in organ ischemia.

Methods: We report a case of necrotizing pancreatitis associated with segmental necrosis of the liver and spleen due to polyarteritis nodosa.

Results: Five previously reported cases of documented acute pancreatitis secondary to PAN have been identified from the English literature. The mechanism through which pancreatic ischemia results in acute pancreatitis is unknown. Although limited pancreatic infarction is common in PAN, necrotizing pancreatitis is rare, and the poor overall prognosis of PAN is owing largely to other organ complications.