ERCP AND MRCP --what are they?? what's the diff??

I thought this is what I remembered from when I worked med-surg but I looked it up and found references easily on yahoo.com.

Oh, I had never heard of MRCP and didn't find anything on it with yahoo.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ercp/

http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=39197

I remembered having many people having ERCP's. I remember many having the CA-19 and many other tumor marker tests when the docs were throwing out a large net trying to find any kind of cancer or tumor.

ERCP - Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatrophy

MRCP - Magnetic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography, also

Member of the Royal College of Physicians

CA 19-9 is a tumor marker released into the bloodstream from both cancer cells and normal cells. Higher than normal amounts of CA 19-9 in the blood can be a sign of gallbladder or pancreatic cancer or other conditions.

You are right on TuC .the doc was looking for a possible pancreatic ca on a pt...thanks for your lengthy explanation under the med-surg forum...

thanks to you both for your comprehensive replies............

guess i'm not the only curious one.... more than 60 "looks" on med-surg site...