Plain abdominal radiograph of a 44-year-old diabetic with recurrent epigastric pain, nausea, and vomiting. The patient had a long history of alcohol abuse.
In this country, alcohol-related pancreatitis is the most frequent cause of pancreatic calcification. The extent of such calcification does not necessarily correlate with the severity or duration of the underlying pancreatitis. Diabetes mellitus is particularly common in these patients.