Gallbladder
The gallbladder is a
pear-shaped, hollow structure located under the liver and on the right side of
the abdomen. Its primary function is to store and concentrate bile, a
yellow-brown digestive enzyme produced by the liver. The gallbladder is part of
the biliary tract.
The gallbladder serves as a reservoir for bile while it’s not
being used for digestion. The gallbladder's absorbent lining concentrates the
stored bile. When food enters the small intestine, a hormone called
cholecystokinin is released, signaling the gallbladder to contract and secrete
bile into the small intestine through the common bile duct.
The bile helps the digestive process by breaking up fats. It
also drains waste products from the liver into the duodenum, a part of the
small intestine.
An excess of cholesterol, bilirubin, or bile salts can cause
gallstones to form. Gallstones are generally small, hard deposits inside the
gallbladder that are formed when stored bile crystallizes. A person with
gallstones will rarely feel any symptoms until the gallstones reach a certain
size, or if the gallstone obstructs the bile ducts. Surgical removal of the
gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is the most common way to treat gallstones.
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