Gallbladder-Gallstones-Acute Cholecystitis-Cholecystectomy and the Arterial Supply to the Gallbladder-Gangrene of the Gallbladder-

Gallbladder

The gallbladder has a capacity of 30 to 50 mL and stores bile it  is a pear-shaped sac lying on the undersurface of the liver. It, which it concentrates by absorbing water.
The gallbladder is divided into the fundus, body, and neck. The fundus is rounded and projects below the inferior margin of the liver, where it comes in contact with the anterior abdominal wall at the level of the tip of the 9th right costal cartilage. The body lies in contact with the visceral surface of the liver and is directed upward, backward, and to the left. The neck becomes continuous with the cystic duct, which turns into the lesser omentum to join the common hepatic duct, to form the bile duct

Gallstones

Gallstones are usually asymptomatic; however, they can give rise to gallstone colic or produce acute cholecystitis.

Acute Cholecystitis

Acute cholecystitis produces discomfort in the right upper quadrant or epigastrium. Inflammation of the gallbladder may cause irritation of the subdiaphragmatic parietal peritoneum, which is supplied in part by the phrenic nerve (C3, 4, and 5). This may give rise to referred pain over the shoulder, because the skin in this area is supplied by the supraclavicular nerves (C3 and 4).

Cholecystectomy and the Arterial Supply to the Gallbladder

the surgeon must be aware of the many variations in the arterial supply to the gallbladder and the relationship of the vessels to the bile ducts Before attempting a cholecystectomy operation,. Unfortunately, there have been several reported cases in which the common hepatic duct or the main bile duct have been included in the arterial ligature with disastrous consequences

Gangrene of the Gallbladder

Unlike the appendix, which has a single arterial supply, the gallbladder rarely becomes gangrenous. In addition to the cystic artery, the gallbladder also receives small vessels from the visceral surface of the liver. Sonograms can now be used to demonstrate the gallbladder