The liver and pancreas are both located in the upper abdominal cavity. The liver includes the liver intrahepatic ducts, common bile duct, and papilla of vater. The pancreas includes pancreas and pancreatic duct.
When problems are persistent, the physician will begin with a visual examination of the upper intestinal tract which begins at the mouth to the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, entrance of papilla of vater to the common bile duct, intrahepatic ducts, gallbladder and /or pancreatic duct. In order to perform this examination, the physician uses a lighted, flexible video endoscope. The procedure is called an endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) which can diagnosis and possible treating diseases from liver and pancreas.
The endoscope has a flexible bundle of glass-like fibers that collect a lighted image at one end called color chip and transfer the image to a processor in which then displays the image on a large video screen.
Following is a list of some of the digestive disorders that affect the liver and pancreas:
• Right Upper Quandrant Pain
• Yellowing of Skin
Following is a list of some of the liver and pancreas diseases or disorders treated at St. Vincent Medical Center:
• Acute Pancreatitis
• Abnormal CAT-Scan /Ultrasound Study
• Abnormal Liver Panel
• Chronic Pancreatitis
• Common Bile Duct Stones
• Common Bile Duct Stricture
• Common Bile Duct Tumor
• Gallstones (common bile duct stones)
• Obstructive Jaundice
• Pancreatic Tumors
• Liver Tumors
• Stricture