Function of the gallbladder

Anatomy of the liver and gallbladder

One of the largest human organs is the liver. Playing an important role in digestion, located at the top of the right abdominal cavity under the diaphragm, the liver has a huge variety of useful functions. Reaching in size almost two kilograms, it is covered on all sides by the peritoneum. The liver performs its functions together with the gall bladder.

Function of the gallbladder and its structure

First, let's look at the structure of the gallbladder. Its shape is pear-shaped. The size of the body fluctuates and usually its value is compared with a small chicken egg:

• Length - from seven to ten or even fourteen centimeters;
• Width - from two to four-five centimeters;
• The capacity is 30-70ml.

The walls of the gallbladder are thin and can stretch. In particular, a strong stretching occurs in pathologies. There are only two walls. The upper one is adjacent to the liver, and the lower one is directed into the cavity of the peritoneum. They consist of muscular, mucous and connective tissue membranes. The gallbladder includes three departments:

• The bottom - being a free department, stands for the lower edge of the liver.
• The neck is the narrow opposite end of the gallbladder, continuing into the cystic duct.
• The body is the middle part of the gallbladder.

All these departments cover the peritoneum on three sides.

Function of the gallbladder is that it is a reservoir for bile, which is produced by the liver. Bile is formed from bile acids. It:

• Glycocholic acid,
• Glycodeoxycholic,
• Glycoheneodeoxycholic,
• Taurodeoxycholic and other acids.

Collected in the bile ducts of the liver, produced in the liver, the bile secretion then enters the gallbladder and duodenum (duodenum), which takes part in the process of digestion, and the main function of the gallbladder is the bile storage. With its help duodenum during the active digestion is supplied with the greatest amount of bile. At this time the duodenum is filled with food already partially digested in the stomach.

Forms of the position of the gallbladder

• There is a gallbladder between the lobes of the liver (square and left) on the lower surface of the liver. It is covered with the peritoneum on three sides.
• Having its own mesentery, is mobile, and therefore can, by twisting, provoke pathologies. Including necrosis.
• With intrahepatic location, there are cases of dystopia - doubling of the gallbladder.

Biliary tract

The common hepatic duct is connected to the neck by a bladder duct, the length of which is approximately four centimeters. The lobar hepatic ducts merge in the liver gates into one hepatic duct. The bladder duct, falling somewhat lower, contributes to the formation of a common bile duct, which, being the longest, consists of four sections:

• Supraduodenal,
• Retroduodenal,
• pancreatic,
• Interstitial.

With irregular meals with significant intervals between meals, the function of the gallbladder is upset. Thus, bile stagnates bile, provoking the development of inflammation, and later stone formation. Accordingly, thinning of the walls of the gallbladder occurs, which, in turn, is fraught with rupture of the organ with a sufficiently large amount of bile collected. This pathology is accompanied by the ingress of bile into the abdominal cavity. Infected, it can even lead to death.

To avoid complications in such a situation cholecystectomy is appointed - removal of the gallbladder. The patient after such an operation will be forced to follow a special diet. Since the function of the gallbladder, as a container of bile, is absent, regular discharge of the biliary tract is necessary. This happens when eating. Consequently, bile less stagnant when food is taken by a person more often than usual. So you need to do at least five times a day.