Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, is a specialised technique used to study the drainage ducts of the gallbladder, pancreas and the liver. During ERCP, you will first be adequately sedated with medications. Your doctor will then pass a flexible fibreoptic tube (endoscope) through your mouth, oesophagus, stomach into the first part of the small intestine (duodenum). The tube enables your doctor to see the inside of the bowels. After locating the opening of the drainage ducts into the duodenum, your doctor will pass a narrow plastic tube through the endoscope and into the ducts. With the aid of Xray, the ducts could be visualised after injection of a special dye. Using various accessories and techniques, procedures like removal of stones in the bile duct or deployment of a draining plastic tube into the bile duct could then be carried out in order to alleviate or bypass an obstruction in the bile and pancreatic drainage system, respectively. ERCP is mainly indicated in the management of obstruction of the bile duct or pancreatic duct caused by stones, tumour (which may or may not be cancerous), infection or inflammation with narrowing of the passage.