Gallbladder

Vesica biliaris

DigestiveOrgansAbdomen

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What it is

Pear-shaped sac lying in a fossa on the underside of the right liver. Its rounded fundus projects just beyond the liver's lower border at the tip of the right 9th costal cartilage; the body narrows into a neck that continues as the cystic duct.

Function

Stores bile between meals and concentrates it up to 10-fold, then contracts under the hormone cholecystokinin when fatty food reaches the duodenum.

Size

7-10 cm long and 3-4 cm wide; holds about 30-50 mL.

Clinical note

Gallstones affect 10-15% of adults. Inflammation (cholecystitis) causes Murphy's sign: pain that stops a deep breath when the examiner presses under the right ribs.