Wednesday's Word

[DonnaBoll]

MRCP -

This is a type of body scan that examines the bile ducts in great detail, using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

It looks for any blockage in the bile ducts or the presence of any gallstones.

Previously the ERCP was used to achieve this examination. It required, however, the injection of dye that often led to pancreatitis or a bacterial infection being introduced.

If the MRCP suggests a gallstone or any type of bile duct blockages, then a ERCP is done next. If the initial MRCP does not find any abnormality, then there should no need to do a ERCP.