Gall Bladder Physiology Flashcards
Most common type of gallstone
Cholesterol (yellow stone)
Less common type of gallstone
Pigment (made of bilirubin and calcium) (black/brown)
How common are gallstones
Quite 10-20% of adults, but 80% of them silent
Cause of gallstone formation
Bile supersaturated with cholesterol
- Obesity, rapid weight loss, estrogen favour
Cholethialsis
Gallstones (but not doing much)
Cholecystitis
Inflammation of gallbladder - normally from gallstone (obstruction of neck of gallbladder or cystic duct)
Chronic Cholecystisis
Normally long-term association of gallstones -> inflammation over time
Management of cholecystitis
Acute - Pain relief, IV, antibiotics. Not normally surgical
Chronic - Laparoscopy
Choledocholithiasis
Stones within the biliary tree
Cholangitis
Infection compounds choledocholithiasis = bacteria in the biliary tree
Biliary cancers frequency
Rare
Complications of gallbladder cancer
Hard to detect = most has invaded the liver by the time of diagnosis
Where is bile reabsorbed
Terminal ilium (gets back to liver via portal vein)
Bile functions
Carrying bile acids = absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins ADEK
Elimination of bilirubin
Bile flow from origin to gallbladder
Made in hepatocyte -> canaliculi -> bile ducts -> L/R hepatic duct -> common hepatic duct -> cystic duct -> gallbladder
Bile acid-dependent flow
Active transport of bile acids brings water along through osmosis
Bile acid-independent flow
Other solutes and electrolytes draw water in to help with flow
Bile homeostasis
95% recycled
5% excreted
Excreted amount should = synthesised amount ~15g
What stimulates contraction of gallbladder to release bile
CCK and autonomic nervous system (parasymp)
What is jaundice
Too much bilirubin in the blood
Cause of jaundice
Obstruction to bile flow = bilirubin build up = enters blood = jaundice = yellow
