The authors compared the therapeutic results of acute necrotizing pancreatitis during two separate time periods involving 97 and 24 patients, respectively. In the group "A", the time period lasted between May 31, 1991 and December 31, 1997. This group consisted of 97 patients, who, in addition to undergoing intensive treatment and antibiotic prophylaxis, later underwent late necrectomy and closed peripancreatic drainage. Jejunal nutrition only occurred in a limited number of 52 patients (53.6%), and was mostly used after a second operation. The group "B" consisted of patients from the time period between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 1999, and consisted of 24 patients treated in each case with intensive treatment in addition to antibiotic prophylaxis, early nasojejunal nutrition, and if necessary CT-guided percutaneous peripancreatic drainage was used. In the case of surgical intervention necrectomy and closed peripancreatic rinsing drainage was used. In group "A", significantly more early operations were performed than in group "B" (31 patients, 32.0% vs. 2 patients, 8.3%). In group "A" the number of reoperations was also higher as a total of 91 (83.5%) were reoperated as compared to group "B" in which a total of 18 (75.0%) reoperations took place. In the group "B", mortality was also lower (12.5%), than in the "A" group (17.5%). The authors attribute the successful therapy to the early jejunal nutrition, CT-guided percutaneous peripancreatic drainage and to the introduction of prophylactic antibiotics.