Background Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a potentially life-threatening condition with a rising global incidence and mortality. Early diagnosis is critical for improving prognosis; however, in resource-limited settings such as Tunisia, access to lipase testing and imaging may be restricted, leading to delayed diagnosis. The PRE-PAN score was recently developed as a clinical diagnostic tool for AP, based on pain characteristics and other readily available clinical parameters. Methods We conducted a prospective monocentric study at the Rabta Hospital in Tunis, Tunisia, including patients who presented with epigastric pain between October 2024 and April 2025. The PRE-PAN scores were calculated for each patient. Lipase testing and/or CT scans were ordered based on the clinical suspicion. Statistical analyses included ROC curve evaluation to assess the diagnostic accuracy. Results A total of 200 patients were enrolled, with a median age of 56 years and female predominance (64%). Acute pancreatitis was diagnosed in 11.6% of the cases. Patients with AP experienced significantly more intense and radiating pain (p5.75 yielded a sensitivity of 87%, specificity of 85.5%, positive predictive value of 44.5%, and negative predictive value of 98%. Conclusion The PRE-PAN score is a highly sensitive and specific clinical tool for diagnosing acute pancreatitis. Its ease of use and strong diagnostic performance support its implementation as an early screening tool in emergency departments, particularly in settings with limited diagnostic resources.
Ali et al. (Mon,) studied this question.