ERCP is used in trauma patients who have injuries to the pancreas and liver.
ERCP For Pancreatic Cancer
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1 AnswerA
If you have endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) as an outpatient, you will be observed for complications until most of the effects of the medications have worn off before being sent home. You might experience bloating or pass gas because of the air introduced during the examination. You can resume your usual diet unless you are instructed otherwise. Someone must accompany you home from the procedure because of the sedatives used during the examination. Even if you feel alert after the procedure, the sedatives can affect your judgment and reflexes for the rest of the day. -
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See All 2 AnswersDuring an endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) procedure your doctor might apply a local anesthetic to your throat and/or give you a sedative to make you more comfortable. Your doctor might even ask an anesthesiologist to administer sedation if your procedure is complex or lengthy. Some patients also receive antibiotics before the procedure. You will lie on your abdomen on an X-ray table. The instrument does not interfere with breathing, but you might feel a bloating sensation because of the air introduced through the instrument.
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See All 4 AnswersLike endoscopic ultrasound (EUS), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is an outpatient procedure involving an endoscope—a long, thin, lighted tube passed through the mouth, through the stomach, and into the duodenum. To conduct the procedure, a tube called a catheter is threaded through the endoscope and directly into the pancreatic and bile ducts. Dye is injected through the catheter and into the ducts and then an X-ray is taken.
As with EUS, during the ERCP procedure, you will be positioned on your side and placed under heavy conscious sedation.
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1 AnswerA
Dr. Michael S. Frist, MD , Gastroenterology, answered on behalf of Atlanta Gastroenterology AssociatesERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) is a safe procedure. Serious complications are uncommon.
Potential complications include:
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) occurs in approximately 5 percent of patients. If it occurs, pancreatitis is usually mild and manifests with abdominal pain and nausea. Symptoms typically resolve after a few days in the hospital. Rarely pancreatitis may be more severe.
- Internal bleeding occurs in less than 1 % of patients. Bleeding may occur immediately and can be stopped quickly during the procedure. Other times bleeding is delayed and can happen during the days following the procedure. This delayed bleeding may require a repeat procedure to stop the bleeding.
- Perforation or puncture of the intestine is a rare occurrence. If a perforation occurs surgical repair if often required.
- Cholangitis (Infection of the bile ducts) is a rare occurrence.
- Heart or lung complications are a rare occurrence.
Signs that you may have had a complication:
- Severe abdominal pain
- A firm, distended abdomen
- Vomiting
- Fever or chills
- Difficulty in swallowing or a severe sore throat
- Chest pain
- Black tar-like stools
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1 AnswerA
Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) allows the physician to visualize the bile and pancreatic ducts. The study is most often performed when a patient exhibits symptoms of jaundice, which can indicate presence of a mass narrowing or blocking the ducts.
If a blockage, or stricture, is found, the physician can intervene by placing a stent into the obstructed duct. A stent is a device that helps hold the duct open to allow bile and pancreatic juices to flow properly. -
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Due to the sedation, you will not be able to drive yourself home after the procedure and should arrange for someone to pick you up. About 5-7% of patients experience pancreatitis after ERCP. While in most cases the pancreatitis is mild, serious pancreatitis can occur. Gastrointestinal bleeding, infection, and adverse reactions to the sedative anesthesia are other, rare complications associated with ERCP. Some patients may be allergic to the contrast dye used to visualize the ducts. If you have any known allergies to contrast dyes, iodine, or shellfish, you should alert your physician before undergoing the procedure.
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Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography, or ERCP, is a specialized technique used to study the bile ducts, pancreatic duct and gallbladder. Ducts are drainage routes; the drainage channels from the liver are called bile or biliary ducts. The pancreatic duct is the drainage channel from the pancreas.
During endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (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. After your doctor sees the common opening to the ducts from the liver and pancreas, called the major duodenal papilla, your doctor will pass a narrow plastic tube called a catheter through the endoscope and into the ducts. Your doctor will inject a contrast material (dye) into the pancreatic or biliary ducts and will take X-rays. -
1 AnswerA
Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) is a well-tolerated procedure when performed by doctors who are specially trained and experienced in the technique. Although complications requiring hospitalization can occur, they are uncommon. Complications can include pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), infections, bowel perforation and bleeding. Some patients can have an adverse reaction to the sedative used. Sometimes the procedure cannot be completed for technical reasons. Risks vary, depending on why the test is performed, what is found during the procedure, what therapeutic intervention is undertaken and whether a patient has major medical problems. Patients undergoing therapeutic ERCP, such as for stone removal, face a higher risk of complications than patients undergoing diagnostic ERCP. Your doctor will discuss your likelihood of complications with you before you undergo the test.
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Brigham and Women's Hospital answeredSee All 2 AnswersHere's a synopsis of the key things that you should do to prepare for your endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP), a procedure that combines the use of a flexible, lighted scope (endoscope) with x-ray pictures to examine the tubes that drain the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas:
- Call your insurance company and ask if the ERCP is covered for the reason given by your doctor.
- Ask your insurance company if you need a referral for the ERCP. If they say "yes," then you MUST get a referral from your primary care physician.
- Update your insurance registration.
- Make plans for someone to come with you to the hospital.
- If you take Coumadin, Plavix or other blood thinners, please talk to the doctor who prescribed it.
- If you are diabetic, please speak with your doctor about how to take your medication in order to prevent low blood sugar.
- If you have a contrast allergy, please notify your provider two days prior to the procedure.