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Patients > Pancreas test > UPMC Pancreas Clinic > ERCP > Technique

The following illustrtion is from the University of Pittsburgh GI Laboratory. Similar equipment and proceedures may be available at other major pancreato-biliary centers.

ERCP: Technique
The patient lies on his or her left side on an X-ray table. Sedative medications are administered intravenously. The endoscope (a thin, flexible, lighted telescope-like device which the physician uses to see inside the stomach and intestine) is passed through the mouth, then through the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, where the opening of the pancreas and bile ducts is visualized. A small catheter (a thin tube about the size of a strand of spaghetti) is then passed through the endoscope under fluoroscopy (real-time X-ray). Contrast (dye) is injected through the catheter into the pancreas duct and bile duct with the X-ray unit turned on, to visualize the anatomy of these structures. If an abnormality is found, other instruments can be passed into the ducts in a similar fashion to treat the abnormality. This might be done, for example, to take biopsies or brush specimens of abnormal areas, to dilate (open up) or stent (create a drainage path through) narrowed areas such as strictures or tumors or fluid collections such as cysts, to remove or crush stones, or to make the opening of the pancreas and bile ducts larger (sphincterotomy).

DISCLAIMER: This information is designed as a tool for background for pancreatic disorders and is not designed to serve as sole medical advice or meant to replace a full medical evaluation. Please consult your personal physician for additional information before making any changes to your diet, lifestyle, or medical treatment.