Aim: To assess whether CT scanning earlier in acute pancreatitis (AP) precipitates any surgical or radiological intervention.Materials and Methods: A single centre retrospective cohort study comparing intervention rates in AP precipitated by early (<6 day of admission, n=100) and UK guideline (≥6 day of admission, n=103) CT scans.Results: No intervention was precipitated by scanning before the 6th day of admission in AP. A statistically significant larger number of interventions were precipitated when scanning on the 6th day or later (P<0.05). Of note this study was conducted using day of admission, rather than day of symptom onset. 6 patients underwent repeat scanning in the same admission after an early scan.Conclusion: Scanning before the 6th day of admission does not lead to earlier intervention. Such early scans waste resources and may offer false reassurance to clinicians
