Gallbladder Disease

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[edit] Gall Bladder Disease

Introduction:

The gall bladder is hidden in the right upper abdomen and situated under the right liver lobe to which it is attached. Here is a link to an image of this complex anatomy. The liver produces bile all the time, which drains into the hepatic ducts and these lead to the common hepatic duct. From there a long thin cystic duct leads into the gall bladder deep under the right liver lobe.

Between meals the bile gets concentrated in the gall bladder as it absorbs 90% of water and electrolytes.

Gall bladder disease

Introduction

Cholecystitis (=gall bladder infection)

Cholelithiasis (=gall bladder stones)

This leads to a concentrated bile, which at meal time is released via powerful hormones (cholecystokinin and other GI hormone peptides).

These hormones in turn release the outlet valve of the gall bladder and make the gall bladder contract, which moves the concentrated bile through the cystic and common bile duct into the duodenum.

The last passage of the common bile duct fuses often with the main pancreatic duct and both open into the duodenum through the pancreaticoduodenal ampulla (=ampulla of Vater). None of this anatomy is all that important for the layperson, but it explains to the physician a number of pathological conditions, as we shall see below. Here is a link to another image depicting details of this complex anatomy.

Two major gallbladder diseases are important: gall stones (cholelithiasis) and Gall bladder infection (cholecystitis).

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Abdominal pain

Gastrointestinal diseases

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