Editing Gallbladder (section)

{{short description|Organ in humans and other vertebrates}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name        = Gallbladder
| Latin       = vesica biliaris, vesica fellea
| Image       = Gallbladder (organ).png
| Caption     = Diagram of human gallbladder
| Width       =
| Image2      = 2425 Gallbladder.jpg
| Caption2    = The gallbladder sits beneath the liver
| Precursor   = [[Foregut]]
| System      = [[Digestion|Digestive system]]
| Artery      = [[Cystic artery]]
| Vein        = [[Cystic vein]]
| Nerve       = [[Celiac ganglia]], [[vagus nerve]]<ref>{{cite book | last = Ginsburg, Ph.D. | first = J.N. | editor = Thomas M. Nosek, Ph.D. | title = Gastrointestinal Physiology | series = Essentials of Human Physiology | url = http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/eshuphysio/program/section6/6ch2/s6ch2_30.htm | access-date = June 29, 2007 | date = August 22, 2005 | publisher = [[Medical College of Georgia]] | location = Augusta, Georgia, United States | pages = [http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/eshuphysio/program/section6/6ch2/s6ch2_30.htm p. 30] | chapter = Control of Gastrointestinal Function | chapter-url = http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/eshuphysio/program/section6/6ch2/6ch2line.htm | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080401093403/http://www.lib.mcg.edu/edu/eshuphysio/program/section6/6ch2/s6ch2_30.htm | archive-date = April 1, 2008 | df = mdy-all }}</ref>
| Lymph       =
}}

In [[vertebrate]]s, the '''gallbladder''', also known as the '''cholecyst''', is a small hollow [[Organ (anatomy)|organ]] where [[bile]] is stored and concentrated before it is released into the [[small intestine]]. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the [[liver]], although the structure and position of the gallbladder can vary significantly among animal species. It receives bile, produced by the liver, via the [[common hepatic duct]], and stores it. The bile is then released via the [[common bile duct]] into the [[duodenum]], where the bile helps in the digestion of [[fat]]s.

The gallbladder can be affected by [[gallstone]]s, formed by material that cannot be dissolved – usually [[cholesterol]] or [[bilirubin]], a product of [[hemoglobin]] breakdown. These may cause significant pain, particularly in the upper-right corner of the abdomen, and are often treated with removal of the gallbladder (called a [[cholecystectomy]]). [[Cholecystitis]], inflammation of the gallbladder, has a wide range of causes, including result from the impaction of gallstones, infection, and autoimmune disease.