Role of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in the Diagnosis and Management of Cholestatic Liver Diseases

Abstract

Cholestatic liver diseases (CLDs) occur as a result of bile duct injury, emanating into duct obstruction and bile stasis. Advances in radiological imaging in the last decade has replaced endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) as the first diagnostic tool, except in certain groups of patients, such as those with ischemic cholangiopathy (IsC) or early stages of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). ERCP provides an opportunity for targeted tissue acquisition for histopathological evaluation and carries a diverse therapeutic profile to restore bile flow. The aim of this review article is to appraise the diagnostic and therapeutic roles of ERCP in CLDs.

Keywords: Autoimmune cholangiopathy; Cholestatic liver diseases; ERCP; Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; Infectious associated cholangiopathy; PSC; Postliver transplant stricture; Primary sclerosing cholangitis.