This study is to assess the predictive significance of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and visceral adipose tissue /skeletal muscle tissue ratio (VAT/SMT ratio) for the prognosis in acute pancreatitis (AP) patients.

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a sudden inflammation of the pancreas. However, one-fifth of patients may develop severe complications with a mortality between 10%-20% It remains a difficulty to find an effective method for prediction of severity of AP at early stage.

It is well-established that obesity (defined as body mass index[BMI]>30kg/m2 by the World Health Organization) is a risk factor for AP and increases the incidence of systemic complication, motality. There are a lot of parameters related to saropenic obesity, including areas of visceral adipose tissue (VAT), subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), skeletal muscle tissue (SMT), and VAT/SMT ratio. it is unclear which parameter is the best predictor of severe AP. Thus, this study is aimed to investigate the association between these parameters and AP severity and find the best predictor of AP.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. diagnosed with AP
2. age >18 years

Exclusion Criteria:

1. age<18years
2. missing data in the electronic medical record
3. history of AP

Diagnosis criteria for AP was defined as the presence of at least 2 of the 3 following factors: (1) abdominal pain characteristic of AP; (2) serum amylase and/or lipase levels≥3 times the upper limit of the normal level, and (3) characteristic findings of AP on a CT scanning.