ERCP or Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography is one of the well-known medical procedures that help diagnose and treat symptoms or disease occurring in the liver, especially in bile and pancreatic ducts, such as gallstones, tumors, and fibrosis . ERCP will use an endoscope and x-ray in examining for the precise result.
ERCP is
ERCP stands for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. ERCP is a medical process for searching or diagnosing abnormalities in bile ducts and pancreas by using the endoscope as the major tool. This treatment procedure will use an endoscope putting it through your mouth in order to reach the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, and pancreas and inject a dye (contrast medium) to get an x-ray.
Treatments via ERCP
Sphincterotomy
Sphincterotomy is the treatment process surgery in cutting the muscle around the opening of papilla or ducts. In this treatment, ERCP is the major method in the process in which the doctor uses the endoscope to look at the area to be enlarged. The sphincterotomy is a comfortable surgery because there are no nerve endings there and it takes only ½ inch for the cut.
Stone Removal
Stone removal is the treatment that is generally done by ERCP. The stones can be formed in gallbladder and then move to the ducts or sometimes the stone will form itself the ducts. After cutting the opening of ducts with ERCP (sphincterotomy), the stone will be removed by the basket.
Stent Placement
Stent placement is also one of the treatments that can be done by ERCP. Stents will be placed in the ducts in order to avoid the strictures or the narrowness of ducts. Also the stent will help the leakage of the ducts.
Balloon Dilation
In the balloon dilation process, ERCP will help placing the balloon in the area where it is narrow. The balloon will expand the narrowed area and a stent will be placed in order to maintain the balloon dilation.
Tissue Sampling
ERCP is also a common process for tissue sampling. In the process, the tissue sample will be taken from the bile ducts, pancreas and papilla by using the endoscope. The tissue will be examined to search for the cause of stricture or narrowed area whether it is cancer or not.
ERCP Benefits
As everyone has heard, ERCP is a very helpful and functional procedure in diagnosing the cause of abnormal symptoms, such as, unexplained abdominal pain that occur in bile ducts and pancreas. This procedure will be recommended by the doctor if there are signs of symptoms and it will help detect these following lists.
- Gallstones, tumors, fibrosis in the bile duct.
- Blockages or narrowing of the pancreatic ducts.
- Cancer of the bile duct and pancreas.
- Infection in the bile ducts.
ERCP Limitation
Although ERCP can be useful in detecting the cause of abnormalities in the bile ducts and pancreas, there are limitations of usage, especially for the groups of people in the following lists.
- People who have had gastrointestinal surgery.
- People who have pouches in the esophagus.
- The barium in the intestine might interfere with ERCP procedure.
ERCP Indication
The ERCP purpose is to detect and treat the following abnormalities:
- The patients with jaundice
- ERCP is utilized to detect the disease in the bile ducts including,
- The infection in the bile ducts.
- The gallstones and blockages in the bile ducts.
- The bile leakage.
- ERCP is also detect the disease in the pancreas including,
- The gallstones in the pancreatic ducts.
- The blockages or narrowing of the pancreatic ducts.
- The fluid leakage in the pancreas.
Side Effects of ERCP
After the process of ERCP, the treatment might have risks or side effects. Here’s the side effects of ERCP.
- Sore throat
- Throat numbness
- Mild nausea or bloating
The side effects mentioned above are general side effects, however, there are severe risks or side effects that have a very small possibility that might happen to some patients. These are ercp procedure severe risks or side effects:
- Pancreatitis or infection in the pancreas
- Excessive bleeding
- Perforation of the bile, pancreatic ducts, or the upper lining of the small intestine.
Preparing Before ERCP
In the following list, these are the preparation steps for ERCP procedure.
- Patients should consult with the doctor about their chronic diseases in order to plan the medical treatment carefully.
- Patients must inform the doctor about their allergy if they are allergic to any drugs or the dye that is utilized in the ERCP procedure.
- Patients must abstain from eating and drinking for at least 6-8 hours before the examination.
- If some patients are taking anticoagulants, aspirin or any medicines that affect blood clotting, they must stop taking these medicines before the ERCP procedure at least for 7 days.
- Before starting the examination, if the patient wears dentures or loose teeth, they must be extracted first for the safety of the examination.
- After the procedure, the patients are unable to take care of themselves or feel fully conscious because of anesthesia, so they need to bring someone with them.
Procedure of ERCP
ERCP is a medical procedure that examines the bile ducts and pancreas with endoscopy and x-rays to detect and treat problems. Here’s the ERCP procedure for endoscopic examination steps:
- The doctor will spray the patient with the anesthesia at the neck area .
- The endoscope will be inserted through the patient’s mouth, esophagus, stomach, duodenum to the opening of the bile duct in the small intestine.
- The dye ,contrast medium, will be injected to the bile duct and X-ray will be taken.
- If the abnormality is found in ducts, such as the gallstones, it will be removed from ducts by electrocautery.
How long is ERCP procedure recovery time?
After the ERCP, the patient will feel better and the surgery will heal within one week.
Post-ERCP Treatment
After the ERCP process, the patients will be taken care of and monitored closely for after-effects.
- After the surgery, the patient should stay in bed for 60 minutes to let the sedation and anesthetic wear off.
- The patient will be required to stay at the hospital at least for 24 hours to observe the effect after the process.
- After the ERCP, the patient is not allowed to consume drink and food for at least 6-8 hours or until the doctor gives a permit after examining and confirming that there are no complications of the ERCP surgery.
- The patient must go see the doctor at the scheduled time to check that there are no symptoms, such as fever, bleeding, abdominal pain and swelling.
ERCP Conclusion
ERCP is a medical procedure examining the abnormalities in bile ducts and pancreas with the combination between endoscopic and x-ray. This process will provide you more information if there are any symptoms that might be related to the bile and pancreas ducts. However, there are also complications in utilizing the ERCP, so the process will be closely supervised by a medical professional and the patient is thoroughly assessed prior to the examination.