ERCP

Medical abbreviation · Gastroenterology

ERCP
Stands forEndoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography
CategoriesMedical

ERCP stands for Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, a gastroenterology abbreviation.

Endoscopic procedure in which a side-viewing scope is advanced to the duodenum and a catheter is passed into the bile and pancreatic ducts to inject contrast under fluoroscopy. Today it is used almost entirely for treatment: removing bile duct stones, placing stents across strictures and draining infected bile.

Example: Choledocholithiasis with cholangitis; urgent ERCP with sphincterotomy and stone extraction.

Usage notes

"Retrograde" refers to filling the ducts backward from the duodenal papilla. Post-ERCP pancreatitis occurs in roughly 3–10 percent of cases, and rectal indomethacin and pancreatic stents reduce the risk. Purely diagnostic ERCP has largely been replaced by MRCP and endoscopic ultrasound. The procedure was introduced in the late 1960s.

More gastroenterology abbreviations

  • DILI – Drug-induced liver injury
  • DU – Duodenal ulcer
  • EGD – Esophagogastroduodenoscopy
  • EMR – Endoscopic mucosal resection
  • EoE – Eosinophilic esophagitis
  • EPI – Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
  • ESD – Endoscopic submucosal dissection
  • EUS – Endoscopic ultrasound
  • EVL – Endoscopic variceal ligation
  • FAP – Familial adenomatous polyposis
  • FD – Functional dyspepsia
  • FIT – Fecal immunochemical test

See all 85 gastroenterology abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.