Update on advanced endoscopic techniques for the pancreas: endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, drainage and biopsy, and endoscopic ultrasound.

Both endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) play critical roles in the diagnosis and management of a wide variety of pancreatic disorders from pancreatitis to pancreatic cancer. ERCP has become primarily a therapeutic procedure for managing both acute and chronic pancreatitis and their complications, whereas EUS mainly provides diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, and pancreatic masses. EUS has begun to enter therapeutics with endoscopic cystgastrostomy, necrosectomy, celiac plexus neurolysis/block, and as an adjunct to ERCP to gain access to the pancreatic duct.