Liver And Gallbladder

2023 Author: Wallace Forman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 12:25

Liver and gallbladder

The liver and gall bladder work closely together, which is crucial for fat digestion, vitamin absorption and cholesterol excretion. The liver (hepar) is a highly active and one of the largest organs in the human body. The liver is in close proximity to other organs such as the stomach, gall bladder, pancreas, duodenum and small intestine, as well as the right kidney and adrenal gland. It almost fills the right upper abdomen. The liver is divided into lobes (lobi). The liver has an indentation on its underside - this is where the gallbladder is located. The two are connected by a large bile duct (ductus choledochus).

The gall bladder (Vesica biliaris) is a small sack-shaped structure. It lies in an indentation directly below the liver and is connected to it via a bile duct (ductus choledochus).

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Liver and gallbladder scheme © elvira

What does the liver do?

The liver performs a wide variety of important functions. In addition to its tasks in the bloodstream of the abdominal organs, the storage and provision of various nutrients, such as fat, protein and carbohydrates, it is also responsible for defense and detoxification in the body. For more information, see Liver: Structure and Function.

What does the gallbladder do?

The gallbladder itself has a storage function and does not produce any bile; this is done by the liver.

The task of the gallbladder is to concentrate and store (bladder bile) bile produced by the liver that is not directly needed (primary bile). When necessary - for example when fat gets into the digestive tract - it releases bile in portions into the duodenum with contractions. The concentrated bladder gall secretion is diluted with water. In the small intestine, with the help of bile, fats absorbed through food can be broken down and used further.

Composition of the bile

The bile is a yellow, brown to olive green liquid. The coloring is caused by the bile pigment, which is a breakdown product of red blood cells (bilirubin). Primary bile and bladder bile differ in the concentration of substances they contain.

The bile consists of:

• Sodium and chloride
• Bile acids or bile salts
• Phospholipids (e.g. lecithin)
• Bile pigments (e.g. bilirubin)
• cholesterol
• Proteins
• Electrolytes
• water

Note With the help of phospholipids, cholesterol is dissolved in the bile. If there is a change in the composition of the bile, this may be related to the formation of gallstones. Such cholesterol stones (cholesterol stones) are the most common form of gallstones. There are also bilirubin stones and mixed stones.