The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic potential of multi-planar and volumetric reconstructions obtained from isotropic data by using 16-slice computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and staging of chronic pancreatitis. In a group of 42 patients CT images were evaluated searching for alterations in morphology and structure of the pancreas, alterations of the Wirsung duct, dilatation of the bile ducts, fluid collections, and vascular involvement of the digestive tract. The disease was then staged in mild, moderate and severe and correlated with the clinical staging. CT allowed the recognition of chronic pancreatitis in all cases. The staging was correct in 25/42 patients, with an accuracy rate of 59.5%. In the staging of moderate and severe forms, CT correlation with clinical and laboratory data was valid, but in mild forms it appeared less significant. Multi-detector CT is accurate in the recognition of moderate, advanced forms of chronic pancreatitis and in the identification of its complications, while it is poorly correlated with the clinical staging in mild forms of the disease.