gall bladder
A pear-shaped organ, 7 to 10 cm long, that lies just below the right lobe
of the liver and is attached to the visceral
surface of the liver by the cystic duct. The main function of the gall bladder
is to store the bile that is secreted by the
liver; the bile travles to the gall bladder along the common hepatic duct.
In the gall bladder, the bile is concentrated by the reabsorption of water
from it. When fatty food is digested, the gall bladder contracts, under
the action of the hormone cholecystokinin,
thus delivering bile through the bile ducts
to the small intestine where it
is able to help dissolve fats.
The most common disorder of the gall bladder is gallstones,
which are composed of cholesterol crystals
or pigment material.
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• ANATOMY
AND PHYSIOLOGY
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