CCK in turn produces forceful contractions of the gallbladder, larger amounts of hepatic secretion of bile, enhanced flow of bile into the duodenum, and less resistance of the sphincter of Oddi (Wilson 1991).
Bile, which is originally made in the liver, becomes more concentrated while in the gallbladder, increasing its potency and intensifying its effect on fats.
The actual inflammation of the gallbladder is due to secondary infection with bacteria of an obstructed gallbladder, with the obstruction caused by the gallstones.
Chronic cholecystitis is due to both gallstones and persitant physical irritation of the gallbladder wall.
Cancer of the gallbladder is a rare, but highly fatal disease that develops in association with gallstones.
Blood is supplied to the gallbladder by the cystic artery, which runs parallel to the cystic duct.
The gallbladder (also gall bladder), or cholecyst, is a pear-shaped organ that stores and concentrates bile until it is needed to aid with fat digestion.
The cystic duct, which serves as the entrance and exit to the gallbladder, joins the liver's hepatic duct to form the common bile duct.
Patients with polyps 10 mm to 15 mm have a lower risk of cancer, but removal of the gallbladder should still be discussed with the physician.
The gallbladder has an epithelial lining characterized by recesses called Aschoff's recesses, which are pouches inside the lining.
The surface marking of the gallbladder is the intersection of the mid-clavicular line, or MCL, and the transpyloric plane at the tip of the ninth rib.
Both acute and chronic inflammation of the gallbladder cause severe abdominal pain, especially after the consumption of a fatty meal.
Low rates of gallbladder cancer are seen in India, Nigeria, and Singapore (Kennedy 2004).
Small gallbladder polyps (up to 10 mm) pose little or no risk, but large ones (greater than 15 mm) pose some risk for cancer, so the gallbladder should be removed.
The gallbladder stores and concentrates bile, which is released from the gallbladder after a signal from CCK, which is released from the duodenum.
Polyrhachis sokolova, a species of ant found in Australian mangrove swamps, can swim and lives in nests that are submerged underwater.
A surgical procedure known as a cholecystectomy, which is the removal of the gallbladder, is the most common treatment for gallstones.