Gallbladder
In vertebrates the gallbladder (also gall bladder, biliary vesicle or cholecyst), is a small organ where bile (a fluid produced by the liver) is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. Humans can live without a gallbladder. The surgical removal of the gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy.
Structure
The gallbladder is a hollow organ that sits just beneath the right lobe of the liver. In adults, the gallbladder measures approximately 8 centimetres (3.1 in) in length and 4 centimetres (1.6 in) in diameter when fully distended. The gallbladder has a capacity of about 100 mL.
The gallbladder is shaped like a tapered sac, with the open end opening into the biliary tree and the cystic duct. Anatomically, the gallbladder is divided into three sections: the fundus, body, and neck: The fundus is a rounded end that faces the front of the body. The body is in contact with the liver, lying in the gallbladder fossa, a depression at the bottom of the liver. The neck tapers and is continuous with the cystic duct, part of the biliary tree. The cystic duct unites with the common hepatic duct to become the common bile duct. At the junction of the neck of the gallbladder and the cystic duct, there is an out-pouching of the gallbladder wall forming a mucosal fold known as Hartmann's pouch, where gallstones commonly get stuck.
