Gallbladder removed

[May57]

Where does the bile go when the gallbladder has been removed? due to a large stone.

From the BBC web site
After a meal, your gallbladder contracts, squeezing bile into your small intestine. Bile breaks down fat in the food you eat.

[sqad617]

No problem May as the bile goes straight into the common bile duct instead of it being stored in the gall bladder.

[May57]

Thank you for your reply sqad.

As the gallbladder was removered I thought the bile duct was removed also, if so what is the common bile duct?

[sqad617]

The bile duct comes from the gall bladder and joins up with the hepatic duct coming from the liver to form the common bile duct. In other words a road junction made up of a road from the bile duct and a road from the liver. It is very important that the surgeon ties off the bile duct and NOT the common bile duct as this would lead to jaundice due to blockage of bile from the liver. If I could have drawn you a diagram it would have saved this boring dissertation.
Back in the 1950's a famous politician, Anthony Eden I think had his gall bladder removed and his common bile duct was inadvertently tied off. He became very ill with jaundice and had to go to the USA to have the operation "unpicked" This is extremely rare, so not to panic.

[May57]

Thank you for your reply sqad.