Gallbladder, Lateral View

Description

Positioned on the visceral (inferior) surface of the liver, the male gallbladder is shown in lateral profile with its fundus projecting anteriorly and inferiorly beyond the hepatic margin, tapering proximally into the body and neck. From the neck, the cystic duct courses medially to join the common hepatic duct, forming the common bile duct, while the right and left hepatic ducts are visible superiorly as they converge within the porta hepatis. The extrahepatic biliary tree reads from proximal to distal, emphasizing the gallbladder’s relationship to the hepatoduodenal region. Clear ductal continuity. This lateral angle matters when you need to teach or plan around Calot’s triangle, where the cystic duct meets the common hepatic duct and the cystic artery commonly crosses. That junction is the key site for iatrogenic bile duct injury during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and it is also where an impacted gallstone can obstruct the cystic duct, producing acute cholecystitis with gallbladder distension. The view also supports discussion of distal common bile duct obstruction (choledocholithiasis) and its downstream consequence, obstructive jaundice, by keeping the bile outflow pathway visually unbroken. Use this illustration in gross anatomy and GI/hepatobiliary modules to anchor spatial orientation of the extrahepatic biliary system, or in surgical education materials outlining safe cystic duct identification and clipping strategy. It also fits radiology and endoscopy content that correlates ductal anatomy with ERCP cannulation and MRCP interpretation, and it reproduces cleanly in textbooks, patient handouts, and procedure consent documentation. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.