Food must not be eaten after midnight the night before the test. The person takes a mild sedative to relax, but is awake during the test. The examiner sprays the mouth with a local anesthetic to prevent gagging on the endoscope. Intravenous drugs relax the muscles of the stomach and small intestine. These drugs may have some unpleasant side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, hives, dry mouth, thirst, blurred vision, and retention of urine.
Examiners perform ERCP with the help of an endoscope.
An endoscope is a long, flexible scope. The examiner passes the endoscope through the mouth and down to the small intestine. A thin tube is then passed through the endoscope. The tube delivers a contrast dye. Examiners view the pancreas and ducts by fluoroscopy and still x-rays.