ERCP and MRCP in the differentiation of pancreatic tumors.

The introduction of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) in the early 1970s provided gastroenterologists with a number of diagnostic as well as therapeutic possibilities for examining biliopancreatic systems. In the meantime, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography presents a non-invasive alternative to diagnostic ECRP providing the advantage of a lower rate of possible complications. This article addresses the two methods presently available for differentiating pancreatic tumors. The objective of this article is to describe the advantages and disadvantages as well as the possibilities inherent in both methods.