Gallbladder/Pancreas/Spleen Flashcards
What shape is the gallbladder?
Pear-shaped
Where is the gallbladder located?
In a fossa on the visceral surface of the liver
What drains the gallbladder?
Cystic duct
What are the three parts of the gallbladder?
Fundus, body, and neck
What is the function of the gallbladder?
Storing bile and concentrating it by absorbing water
When does the gallbladder contract to expel bile into the duodenum?
When food arrives into the duodenum
What initiates the contraction of the gallbladder?
Cholecystokinin (CCK)
What is the blood supply to the gallbladder?
Cystic artery from the right hepatic artery
What is the innervation of the gallbladder?
Autonomic and pain fibers from the celiac plexus
What ducts drain the corresponding functional halves of the liver?
Right and left hepatic ducts
What duct is formed by the union of the right and left hepatic ducts?
Common hepatic duct
What duct is formed by the union of the common hepatic duct and the cystic duct?
Bile duct
What is formed by the union of the bile duct and pancreatic duct?
Hepatopancreatic ampulla (ampulla of Vater)
Where does the hepatopancreatic duct empty into the duodenum?
Second part of the duodenum at the major duodenal papilla
What action becomes difficult after gallbladder removal?
Digestion of fats
What sphincter surrounds the hepatopancreatic ampulla?
Sphincter of Ampulla
What sphincter surrounds the inferior terminus of the bile duct?
Sphincter of Bile Duct
What sphincter surrounds the terminal part of the pancreatic duct?
Sphincter of Pancreatic Duct
What are located within the cystic duct and function to keep it open?
Spiral folds (valves)
What is the narrowest part in the biliary passage?
Sphincter of Ampulla
What sphincter is known for being particularly weak?
Sphincter of Pancreatic Duct
What are gallstones?
Hard masses formed by the solidification of bile constituents
What are gallstones mainly composed of?
Cholesterol crystals
Where do gallstones most commonly become impacted?
Distal end of the hepatopancreatic ampulla (sphincter of ampulla)
Why do most gallstones most commonly become impacted at the distal end of the hepatopancreatic ampulla?
Because it’s the most narrow point in the biliary passage
What results from a gallstone blockage at the hepatopancreatic ampulla?
Backup of bile through the pancreatic duct and acute pancreatis
What are risk factors for gallstones?
Being female, obesity, pregnancy, high fat diet
Upper abdominal diseases involving the liver, gallbladder, or stomach may refer pain to what cord location?
Lower thoracic spinal cord segments (T8-T12)
A gallbladder attack most commonly causes pain in what quadrant of the abdomen?
Right upper quadrant
Where can pain from gallstones or a gallbladder attack be referred?
RIGHT subscapular region of the back (inferior angle)
Right subscapular back pain is found in about what percentage of those with gallbladder issues?
30%
The pancreas serves what two types of functions?
Exocrine and endocrine
What is the exocrine function of the pancreas?
Secretion of digestive enzymes