ERCP

Endoscopic Retrograde CholangioPancreatography, a procedure to look for diseases of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas. A flexible tube is put down the throat, through the stomach, and into the small intestine. The tube is passed through a structure called the papilla of Vater into the bile ducts or the pancreatic duct. A dye is then injected and x-rays are taken of the bile ducts or the pancreatic duct. The ERCP test is uncomfortable but not painful. It is performed under intravenous sedation, usually without general anesthesia, and has a low incidence of complications. ERCP can provide important information unobtainable by other diagnostic means. Therapeutic measures can often be take at the time of ERCP to remove stones in the bile ducts or to relieve

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Abbreviation for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.

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endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography

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the technique in which a catheter is passed through a duodenoscope into the ampulla of Vater of the common bile duct and injected with a radiopaque medium to outline the pancreatic duct and bile ducts radiologically. It is widely used in the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice and pancreatic disease. See also papillotomy.

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endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.