Gallbladder

Eva Rudolf-Müller is a freelance writer in the medical team. She studied human medicine and newspaper sciences and has repeatedly worked in both areas - as a doctor in the clinic, as a reviewer, and as a medical journalist for various specialist journals. She is currently working in online journalism, where a wide range of medicine is offered to everyone.

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The gallbladder is located in the right upper abdomen below the liver and has an elongated, sac-like shape. It stores the bile produced by the liver. Sometimes the gallbladder itself is incorrectly referred to as bile. In a healthy state, the small hollow organ cannot be felt from the outside. Read more about the topic here: Where is the bile (gall bladder) located? What is its function? What problems can it cause?

What is the gallbladder?

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped sac about ten centimeters long, just below the liver. It serves as a storage location for the bile produced in the liver (bile). This leaves the liver via the common hepatic duct, which then branches out: One branch (called the gallbladder duct) leads into the gallbladder, the other branch as the large bile duct (ductus choledochus) leads to the duodenum. Shortly before its confluence, in most people the large bile duct joins the excretory duct of the pancreas to form the bile-pancreatic duct (ductus choledochopancreaticus), which then enters the duodenum. In some people, the large bile duct and the excretory duct of the pancreas join the intestine separately.

What is the function of the gallbladder?

The function of the gallbladder is to store and concentrate the bile that is produced in the liver. The hollow organ can hold 30 to 50 cubic centimeters of fluid. A circular muscle (sphincter) at the mouth of the bile duct in the duodenum regulates the influx of bile into the intestine. When the sphincter is closed, the gallbladder fills with the bile coming from the liver, which is then thickened to about a tenth of its volume by dehydration. When you eat high-fat food, the production of the hormone cholecystokinin is stimulated in the small intestine. This hormone causes the gallbladder to contract, forcing the bile into the large bile duct. The muscles around the mouth of the bile duct in the duodenum relax at the same time, allowing the bile to flow into the intestines.

bile

Read more about bile in the article Bile.

Where is the gallbladder located?

The gallbladder lies on the underside of the liver at about the level of the 9th rib, where it emerges from under the right costal arch.

What problems can the gallbladder cause?

When cholesterol, bile pigments and calcium carbonate precipitate in the gallbladder and the excretory ducts, gallstones of various compositions and shapes form. In most cases, such stones go unnoticed and do not cause symptoms. But they can also obstruct the outflow of bile into the intestine and trigger attack-like upper abdominal pain with nausea and vomiting (biliary colic). Other possible consequences are jaundice (jaundice) and inflammation of the biliary tract (cholangitis) or the gall bladder (cholecystitis). Due to the union of the bile duct and the excretory duct of the pancreas (in most people), an unfavorably located gallstone can also lead to inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).

In rare cases, a malignant tumor can develop in the gallbladder or biliary tract.

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