CRP and Pleural effusion: We assessed whether pleural effusion (PE) detected on early imaging serves as an early predictor for the development of severe HTG-AP (HTG-SAP) and organ failure (OF), compared with BISAP, MCTSI, and C-reactive protein (CRP).<h4>Methods</h4>A retrospective study included 296 HTG-AP patients at Xuanwu Hospital from August 2013 to February 2024.