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ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography)

A special flexible telescopic endoscope will be passed down your throat, through your stomach and into your small intestine. The endoscopist can see through the tube, and uses it to put dye into the drainage duct from the pancreas or the bile ducts so they show up more clearly on x-ray. A biopsy may also be taken. You will be given a sedative to help you relax.

ERCP and stenting

If your bile duct is blocked, causing jaundice, a small tube, like a straw (called a stent), can be placed into the blocked bile duct to make a passage-way. The stent allows the bile from your liver to flow freely into your small intestine again, and so relieve (palliate) the jaundice. Beforehand, you will be given some sedation to ensure that you feel no pain.

The procedure may be complicated by bleeding, damage to the bowel, infection or pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). One in 100 patients experience serious complications.

 

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