What is ERCP?
ERCP is a specialized technique used to study the pancreas, gallbladder and the ducts of the liver. An endoscope, which is a flexible thin tube, is passed through the mouth, esophagus and stomach into the duodenum. After the common opening to ducts from the liver and pancreas is visually identified, a catheter (a narrow plastic tube) is passed through the endoscope into the ducts. Contrast material is then injected gently into the ducts (pancreatic or biliary) and x-rays are taken.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, is a specialized technique used to study the ducts of the gallbladder, pancreas and liver. Ducts are drainage routes; the drainage channels from the liver are called bile or biliary ducts. If your doctor has recommended an ERCP, this brochure will give you a basic understanding of the procedure – how it’s performed, how it can help, and what side effects you might experience. It can’t answer all of your questions, since a lot depends on the individual patient and the doctor. Please ask you doctor about anything you don’t understand. During ERCP, your doctor will pass an endoscope through your mouth, esophagus and stomach into the duodenum (first part of the small intestine). An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube that lets your doctor see inside your bowels.
ERCP stands for endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography. It is an X-ray examination of the pancreatic and bile ducts, which are injected with a dye beforehand to make them show up. The bile ducts drain bile from the liver while the pancreatic duct drains pancreatic juice from the pancreas. Both open into the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum).
