Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-pancreatography

What is an ERCP?

ERCP stands for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. It allows the doctor to see into your bile duct by using an endoscope, which is a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end. When the endoscope is inside your body, x-rays will be taken. An ERCP can take anything from 20 minutes to over an hour.

Why has my doctor recommended that I have an ERCP?

ERCP usually follows blood tests and an ultrasound scan and there are many reasons that one may be suggested. Your doctor will explain specifically why you are having the procedure, but common reasons include:

• jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
• abnormal blood results (liver tests)
• gallstones or other blockages in the bile duct or pancreatic duct.

The bile ducts and nearby structures

Bile is made in the liver, which is in the upper right part of the abdomen. The bile constantly drips down a tube called the common bile duct, through an opening called the papilla, into the duodenum (the first part of the gut after the stomach). The gallbladder is a pouch which comes off the common bile duct. It stores bile and releases it when you eat to help you digest food, particularly fatty food. The pancreas is a gland that is joined to the common bile duct and makes enzymes (chemicals), which are vital to digest food. (It also makes hormones such as insulin).

What happens after the procedure?

You will be taken on a trolley to the recovery area in the Endoscopy Department, where you will be monitored closely until you are fully awake. You may sleep for about an hour after the procedure and then feel drowsy for a few hours. Because of the sedative or general anaesthetic, most people do not remember much about the procedure.

The effects of the medication may vary slightly from person to person. If all is well, you will normally be allowed to drink clear fluids after two hours and start eating a light diet after a further two hours if no problems arise. 

It is essential you are observed for 24 hours after a general anaesthetic. Some people stay in hospital overnight after an ERCP for observation, however there may be an opportunity for you to be discharged on the same day if you recover well from the ERCP and if there is someone to accompany you home and to stay with you overnight.

For 24 hours after sedation or general anaesthetic you must not drive any motor vehicle, work, operate heavy machinery, sign anything legally binding, drink alcohol or take sedative medication, or look after babies or young children. You are advised to rest.