Synonyms
Medical: Vesica biliaris, Vesica fillea gall bladder, gall bladder duct, inflammation of the gall bladder, porcelain gall bladder
Definition
The gallbladder is a small hollow organ, which holds about 70 ml and is located at the bottom of the liver in the right upper abdomen. The gallbladder has the task of storing the bile continuously produced by the liver between meals and, if necessary, releasing it into the duodenum for digestion.
Location of the gall bladder
The gallbladder serves to store the bile produced by the liver. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the liver in the right upper abdomen below the right costal arch. There it is fused with the underside of the right lobe of the liver and thus fixed in position.
The gallbladder is about 6-10cm long and 4cm wide. Its neck opens into the ductus cysticus, the gallbladder duct. This in turn is connected to the ductus hepaticus communis, the bile duct of the liver.
From the point where the two ducts merge, the duct is also called the choledochal duct. Together with the pancreatic duct, this finally opens into the duodenum and enables the bile to be released during the digestive process. If the gall bladder is inflamed or otherwise diseased, its anatomical position can lead to pain in the right upper abdomen.
Macroscopic anatomy
Like most abdominal organs, the gallbladder lies within the peritoneum. It is fused with the liver at its upper and rear sides. On the lower and front side, the gallbladder is in contact with the duodenal bulb (transition from stomach to duodenum), the pancreas and the transverse colon (part of the large intestine).
The gallbladder is divided into different sections: Pit (fundus), body (corpus) and as (cervix). The pit and body of the gallbladder are the parts that store the bile (bile). The neck of the gallbladder tapers further and further until it finally merges into the gallbladder duct (Ductus cysticus).
Blood is supplied mainly through the cystic artery (Arteria cystica), which branches off from the hepatic artery (A. hepatica propria). In addition, individual small vessels from the liver supply parts of the gallbladder. The venous (low-oxygen) blood flows via the portal vein into the liver.
This is the reason why gallbladder cancer often causes metastases (daughter tumors) in the liver.
- Right lobe of the liver
- Left lobe of the liver
- Gall Bladder
Histologically, the wall of the gallbladder consists of three layers: from the inside to the outside The mucosa of the gallbladder consists of a single-layered covering tissue (epithelium) and is strongly folded when at rest. This allows the mucosa to unfold easily when stretched.
On the inside, the mucosal cells are marked by a so-called brush border. This brush border consists of countless small protuberances of the mucosal cells to increase the surface area. This is important because the superficial cells actively try to remove water from the bile most of the time.
They do this by using special proteins to transport salt out of the fluid, which is then followed by water. The muscle layer of the gallbladder consists of smooth muscles that extend around the gallbladder. When it becomes tense, this leads to the squeezing of the stored bile.
The tension is partly triggered by nervous impulses, but the most important signal is the hormone cholecystokinin from certain cells of the gastrointestinal tract. The connective tissue layer (advdentitia) of the gallbladder is formed by fusing with the inner layer of the peritoneum. Although this makes the gallbladder mobile, inflammation can easily spread to the peritoneum, which is very sensitive to pain (peritonitis).
- Mucous membrane (mucosa)
- Muscle layer (tunica muscularis) and
- Layer of connective tissue (Adventitia).
