Gallbladder

<p>In <a href="/facts/Vertebrate/tT54FSTT">vertebrates</a>, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow <a href="/facts/Organ_(anatomy)/FUYsLaxz">organ</a> where <a href="/facts/Bile/D15BG2gq">bile</a> is stored and concentrated before it is released into the <a href="/facts/Small_intestine/1AQ8RJ4m">small intestine</a>. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the <a href="/facts/Liver/Rtp4Fk2b">liver</a>, although the structure and position of the gallbladder can vary significantly among animal species. It receives bile, produced by the liver, via the <a href="/facts/Common_hepatic_duct/B5ylakos">common hepatic duct</a>, and stores it. The bile is then released via the <a href="/facts/Common_bile_duct/9TsYu0sc">common bile duct</a> into the <a href="/facts/Duodenum/IAIgHBmq">duodenum</a>, where the bile helps in the digestion of <a href="/facts/Fat/87HcP11s">fats</a>.
</p><p>The gallbladder can be affected by <a href="/facts/Gallstone/9bIB9MYT">gallstones</a>, formed by material that cannot be dissolved – usually <a href="/facts/Cholesterol/TnfPlYc1">cholesterol</a> or <a href="/facts/Bilirubin/HCHyCjkt">bilirubin</a>, a product of <a href="/facts/Hemoglobin/RsD1MzYA">hemoglobin</a> breakdown. These may cause significant pain, particularly in the upper-right corner of the abdomen, and are often treated with removal of the gallbladder (called a <a href="/facts/Cholecystectomy/petQE34t">cholecystectomy</a>). <a href="/facts/Cholecystitis/7XK7kF9S">Cholecystitis</a>, inflammation of the gallbladder, has a wide range of causes, including result from the impaction of gallstones, infection, and autoimmune disease.
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Gallbladder open-in-new

Gallbladder