Gallbladder Anatomy

• The gallbladder is a small saclike organ in the upper right part of the abdomen. It
is located under the liver, just below the front rib cage on the right side.

• The gallbladder is part of the biliary system, which includes the liver and the
pancreas.

• The biliary system, among other functions, produces bile and digestive enzymes.

Bile is a fluid made by the liver to help in the digestion of fats.

• It contains several different substances, including cholesterol and bilirubin, a

waste product of normal breakdown of blood cells in the liver.

• Bile is stored in the gallbladder until needed.

• When we eat a high-fat, high-cholesterol meal, the gallbladder contracts and

injects bile into the small intestine via a small tube called the common bile duct.
The bile then assists in the digestive process.

The gallbladder is a hollow system that sits just beneath the liver. In adults, the
gallbladder measures approximately 8 cm in length and 4 cm in diameter when fully
distended. It is divided into three sections: fundus, body and neck. The neck tapers and
connects to the biliary tree via the cystic duct, which then joins the common hepatic duct
to become the common bile duct.
Pathopysiology

Etiology Risk Factor

Excessive dietary cholesterol intake Gender

Age

Genetics

Overweight

Gallbladder

Major constituents are cholesterol and pigment

Gallstones

Pressure Obstruction

Bile Stasis

Bacterial proliferation

Gallbladder and Duct infection

Cholecystitis

Signs and Symptoms

Anorexia, Nausea and Vomiting, Gaseous eructation

Rebound tenderness, pain in Right upper quadrant, Fever

Dark urine, pruritus , Cholecystitis