In a review of the surgical management of 64 patients with gallstone pancreatitis, recurrence of pancreatitis requiring readmission was noted in 48 per cent of those who had correction of biliary tract disease delayed to a separate admission. When patients were operated upon during the recovery phase of the first admission for pancreatitis, the hospital stay was reduced, there were no deaths and the morbidity was not increased. None of these patients had a documented recurrence of pancreatitis.