Chronic pancreatitis is a pathological process with long-term continuum, the pancreas is damaged leading to destruction of the pancreatic parenchyma or pancreatic duct and replaced by fibrous tissue leading to impaired pancreatic function. The diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis helps to treat and prevent dangerous complications affecting the patient's health.

Acute pancreatitis is an acute disease of the pancreas that can range from edematous pancreatitis to hemorrhagic and necrotizing pancreatitis. This is a common pancreatic emergency, if not treated promptly can cause dangerous complications and even death.

Predictions of the severity of acute pancreatitis are posed by ongoing clinical evaluations with the use of systematic and imaging multifactor scores. The Balthazar score is a tool to assess the extent of pancreatitis on computed tomography.