The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is established by the presence of at least 2 of the following: Abdominal pain consistent with the disease Serum amylase and / or lipase > 3 times the upper limit of normal (normal range of amylase and lipase levels can differ depending on the assay used) Characteristic findings on contrast-enhanced cross-sectional imaging studies The differential diagnosis of the symptoms of acute pancreatitis includes Perforated gastric or duodenal ulcer Mesenteric infarction Strangulating intestinal obstruction Aortic aneurysm Biliary colic Appendicitis Diverticulitis Inferior wall myocardial infarction Hematoma of the abdominal muscles or spleen To exclude other causes of abdominal pain and to diagnose metabolic complications of acute pancreatitis, a broad range of tests is usually done at initial evaluation.