Disorders of the Gallbladder Flashcards
Where is bile made?
Liver
What is the flow of bile from a hepatocyte?
- Canaliculi
- Interlobular ducts
- Collecting ducts
What forms the Common Bile Duct?
- L & R Hepatic Duct
- Cystic Duct
What are the 3 parts of the gallbladder?
- Fundus
- Body
- Neck
What forms the triangle of Calot?
- Medial - Common hepatic duct
- Inferior - cystic duct
- Superior - inferior surface of the liver
What is the main purpose of the gallbladder?
Concentrate and store bile.
What stimulates the release of bile?
- Cholecystokinin (CCK) from lipids in the duodenum
- CCK stimulates gallbladder wall contraction and Sphincter of Oddi relaxation
What are the 5 functions of bile?
- Fat emulsification
- Absorption of fat and fat-soluble vitamins
- Excretion of bilirubin and excess cholesterol
- Alkaline fluid to neutralize acidic chyme from stomach
- Bactericidal activity
What are gallstones formally called?
Cholelithiasis
What makes up bile?
- Water
- Bile Salts
- Cholesterol
- Bilirubin
What are the effects of CCK on the GI tract?
- Gallbladder contraction
- Relaxation of Sphincter of Oddi
- Delays gastric emptying
- Induces digestive enzyme production in the pancreas
What are the 3 underlying mechanisms behind gallstone formation?
- Ratio of cholesterol too high
- Ratio of bilirubin too high
- Gallbladder not getting rid of bile enough
What is the MC type of gallstone?
Cholesterol gallstone
What are the risk factors for cholelithiasis?
- Western diet
- Genetics (LITH gene in native americans)
- Women (Pregnancy or OCPs or hormones)
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Old people
- Rapid weight loss
- Medical conditions (hemolytic anemias, HLD, DM, Cirrhosis, hypertriglyceridemia)
What may help prevent cholelithiasis?
- Medi or low-carb diet
- Exercise
- Caffeine :) for women
What makes a gallstone asymptomatic?
Staying in the gallbladder
What makes cholelithiasis symptomatic/biliary colic?
- Gallbladder is contracting, but it is blocking the cystic duct
- Pain will slowly subside
Biliary colic refers to the pain caused.
Hallmark sign of Biliary colic?
RUQ pain following fatty meals that may radiate to R shoulder and is often nocturnal
30mins-hour, resolving within 6 hours
How do biliary colic pts appear?
Everything normal except pain (usually not severe enough to go to ER)
What is the imaging of choice for cholelithiasis?
RUQ Abd US
How do we treat biliary colic?
- NSAIDs
- TOC: Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
What would cause us to treat asymptomatic cholelithiasis?
- Calcified gallstone
- Stone > 3cm in diameter
- Patient is a native american
Prophylactic cholecystectomy
How soon can you recover if you have a lap chole?
1 day!
When do you treat a pregnant women with gallstones?
2nd trimester after conservative approach fails
What is an intraoperative cholangiogram?
- XRAY of bile duct during a cholecystectomy.
- Dye injected to show where the common bile duct is to avoid injury
How do you treat a non-surgical candidate with symptomatic cholelithiasis?
Ursodeoxycholic acid (bile salt PO)
Helps dissolve stones
What are the essentials of diagnosis for cholelithiasis?
- Usually asymptomatic
- Classic pain is steady severe pain in RUQ with radiation to R shoulder
- Abd US is imaging of choice
What is the MC type of cholecystitis?
Acute calculous cholecystitis due to gallstone becoming lodged in cystic duct
What is acute Acalculous cholecystitis and who is it MC in?
- Gallbladder stasis & ischemia
- MC demographic: Critically ill pts/post op after major surgery
- Secondary infection is common
What causes chronic cholecystitis?
- Episodic biliary colic
- Progressive mechanical damage
What kind of demographic might have acute cholecystitis due to infection?
Immunocompromised pts
How does acute cholecystitis appear?
- Ill-appearing
- RUQ pain radiating to shoulder > 4-6 hours
- N/V
- Fever
- Tachy
- Lie still on exam table due to pain on movement
A much sicker version of cholelithiasis.
Note the presence of systemic symptoms vs none in cholelithiasis
What is Murphy’s sign?
Inspiratory pain on palpation of RUQ, causing them to stop their breath.
Place fingers on RUQ
What labs are elevated in acute cholecystitis?
- Leukocytosis (MC)
- Elevation of liver enzymes is Rare
How do you diagnose Acute cholecystitis?
- US showing stone lodged at cystic duct and gallbladder thickening > 4mm
- Free fluid
What is the alternate version of murphy’s sign?
Sonographic murphy’s sign