Your hepatologist may recommend a diagnostic ERCP to investigate suspected problems of the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, or bile ducts and to learn more about the causes of symptoms such as:
- unexplained abdominal pain
- yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)
- abnormal results from a blood test, ultrasound, or CT scan
Your hepatologist may also carry out a diagnostic ERCP to investigate conditions such as gallstones, pancreatitis, or tumours. They may take a small sample of tissue (biopsy) through the endoscope.
Your consultant will discuss with you how you can prepare. You may be asked to avoid eating and drinking for a few hours before the procedure.
An ERCP takes about one hour. You can choose to have it under sedation or general anaesthetic.
Your hepatologist will place the endoscope in the back of your mouth, before guiding it gently down to your stomach and small intestine. A special dye, which shows up on X-rays, is injected through the endoscope.
The combination of video image from the endoscope and X-rays will provide your hepatologist with a detailed picture of how well your liver, pancreas, gallbladder, and bile ducts are working.
Your doctor can also use small tools passed through the endoscope to take a small sample of tissue (biopsy).
After an ERCP, you will need to rest in hospital for a few hours, and possibly overnight. You may experience some bloating or nausea for a short time. You may also have a slightly sore throat when the local anaesthetic wears off, which can last a day or two.
- recovery time in the endoscopy suite
- nursing
- pre-procedure bowel preparation if required
- consultant consultation fee
- post-op and discharge medication
- general anaesthetic if needed
- artificial implants, including stents
- neurophysiology, dietician, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy
- non-standard diagnostic and histology tests
- any additional costs not specified in the package inclusions
