Bile-duct stones, strictures and jaundice-defining blockages treated through a scope passed from the mouth — no cutting at all in most cases. Chinese GI centres run some of the highest-volume ERCP services in the world; their endoscopists handle complex intrahepatic stones and post-operative strictures that low-volume units refer out.
| Option | Best suited for | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Standard therapeutic ERCP | Duct stones, stenting | Sphincterotomy plus extraction; day-case economics. |
| Cholangioscopy-guided (Spyglass) lithotripsy | Large, impacted, intrahepatic stones | Direct vision for the stones ordinary ERCP cannot crack. |
| EUS-guided access (EUS-BD) | Failed cannulation or altered anatomy | The rescue route high-volume Chinese units run routinely. |
| Typical China cost (reference only) | US$4,000–8,000 per therapeutic session |
|---|---|
| Typical in-hospital stay | Day-case or 1 night |
| Return-to-travel timeline | Fly home at 2–4 days after an uncomplicated procedure; stented patients follow a planned exchange calendar |
Costs are indicative ranges for international self-pay patients at major Chinese hospitals; final quotes depend on the hospital, implant/medication choice and case complexity. WellVoyage locks a written all-in quote before you commit.
A USD 30,000 self-pay quote for an ERCP in Florida. The same procedure in Guangzhou — with stone extraction and stent placement — cost a fraction; he was back at work within the week.
Post-operative jaundice and a six-week wait for therapeutic endoscopy. ERCP in Shanghai with sphincterotomy and stone retrieval within ten days of enquiry; her jaundice faded before her tan did.
Gallstone pancreatitis that kept returning because the duct kept blocking. Single-session ERCP in Beijing cleared the stones and the calculus of risk; he has been admission-free for two years.
A pancreatic-tumour stricture threatening to turn jaundice into catastrophe. A self-expanding metal stent placed endoscopically in Guangzhou restored his bile flow within 48 hours.
A stone left behind after surgery abroad travelled for three weeks before it blocked her duct. Chinese ERCP retrieved it through the papilla — no second operation, no new scar.
A post-operative leak managed in Cairo with drains and waiting. ERCP with stenting in Shanghai sealed it endoscopically in one session; the drains came out before he flew home.
A large stone wedged where scopes usually struggle. Chinese ERCP with mechanical lithotripsy fragmented it and extracted the pieces; the word 'surgery' never entered his chart.
Pancreatitis is the main risk (a few percent, usually mild); volume is the strongest safety factor known, and Chinese high-volume endoscopists run some of the largest published cohorts with correspondingly tuned complication management.
Plastic stents are exchanged every ~3 months, metal stents last longer. Your exchange calendar is written down; exchanges can happen at home if a local ERCP centre exists, or be bundled into a return visit.
WellVoyage translates your records, obtains independent specialist opinions, and locks a transparent written quote — before you book a flight.
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