Introduction

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located beneath the liver. The gallbladder stores bile, the greenish yellow digestive fluid produced by the liver. When bile is needed, the gallbladder contracts, pushing the bile through the lower portion of the bile duct into the small intestine.

Disorders such as gallstones and tumors can obstruct the flow of bile through the bile ducts. Occasionally, an injury during gallbladder surgery may cause an obstruction, or the duct may be narrowed as it passes through a chronically diseased pancreas. Rarer causes of bile duct obstruction include infection by the parasite Ascaris lumbricoides or Clonorchis sinensis. Cancer of the gallbladder itself is extremely rare.