We all went through the school anatomy of the human body. But few people remember where all the organs of our body are. We try to remember their position only when something starts to hurt. But among all organs there are special “silencers” - those that endure for a long time and do not make themselves felt until the moment when the disease has already gone far enough. It is about such patient organs that will be discussed in this article. Where is the gall bladder, liver and pancreas, and what is the function of these organs of the gastrointestinal tract, our story is about their pathologies and treatment methods.
Auxiliary, but very important
Our digestive system consists of the gastrointestinal tract and organs that are called auxiliary: the liver, pancreas and gall bladder. Where are these organs located in humans (photo below), we recall the first symptoms of their pathology: hepatitis or cirrhosis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis or cholangitis.
All these organs do not directly participate in the process of digestion of food, but play an important role in ensuring the chemical treatment of its components. The coordinated and coordinated work of these bodies is the guarantee of our health. Pain in the right hypochondrium, where the liver and gall bladder, as well as the pancreas are located, indicate serious problems of our body.
Very brief description
An incredibly important organ of the body is the liver. Its functional significance is very great. In the context of our article, this organ plays an important role in the synthesis of bile - an indispensable enzymatic component to ensure the breakdown of fats. Two hepatic ducts merge and direct bile into the gallbladder. This is a small (width - up to 5 cm, length - up to 14 cm) pouch with narrow and wide ends. With contractions of the gallbladder, bile enters the digestive tract through the duct of Oddi into the duodenum.
The organ of internal and external secretion is the pancreas. The pancreatic juice that it secrets is a source of enzymes for the breakdown of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In addition, it neutralizes the acidity of the stomach and is considered the main supplier of regulators of blood sugar levels (insulin and glucagon).
United by one duct
The pancreas and bile are interconnected anatomically and functionally. The pancreas is located very close to the place where the gallbladder is located (photo above). In addition, they are united by a common duct, which opens into the lumen of the first part of the intestine - the duodenum. Synchronization of the work of these two organs is the key to normal digestion, and violations lead to malfunctions and inflammatory processes in both organs. The formation of stones (stones) in the gallbladder leads to impaired outflow of bile and pancreatic juice from the pancreas and the development of inflammatory processes in it.
It is impossible to determine, on palpation, where the pancreas and gall bladder are. In the projection to the front of the abdomen, the pancreas is 5-10 centimeters above the navel, and its tail goes into the left hypochondrium. The iron itself is located horizontally and in the lower part is covered by a ring of the duodenum. To her right is the liver, and to the back is the left kidney.
In the right hypochondrium, under the liver, there is a depression where the gall bladder is located in humans. It connects to the liver with a thin connective film. In the same place where the gallbladder is located, it has a duct in the colon.
Anatomy Features
In most people, the gallbladder and its duct (choledochus) flow into the common duct with the pancreas (duct called the wirsungs) at an angle, which leads to the outflow of bile. But every fifth of us has his own characteristics of the anatomy of this organ. From where the gallbladder and its bile duct are located, such options in anatomy are distinguished:
- In 55% of the Wirsung people, the pancreatic duct and common bile duct are combined into a common ampoule.
- In 33% of people, these ducts are connected without the formation of an ampoule, and their connection occurs near the duodenum.
- In 4% of people, the gallbladder and pancreas channels do not connect at all and fall into the duodenum on their own.
- In 8% of people, their canals merge quite far from the Otto sphincter and have a long common canal.
The first group has a higher degree of development of pathology. This is due to the possible blocking of the channel in the ampoule with stones or polyps. Thus, the place where the gallbladder is located in women and men is anatomically variable.
Physiology features
Regardless of where the gallbladder and pancreas are located, they have a close functional relationship. Pancreatic juice breaks down carbohydrates, protein and fats into components that are absorbed into the bloodstream and enter into metabolic processes. And it is bile that the gall bladder produces that stimulates the release of its juice. Where a person is located at the junction of their ducts, in this case it does not matter.
The specific features of the pancreas
In pancreatic juice (up to 2 liters per day) there are more than 20 enzymes classified into three groups:
- Lipases break down fats.
- Proteases break down proteins.
- Amylases are involved in the breakdown of carbohydrates.
These enzymes remain inactive until they interact with the secretion of the gallbladder.
The specific features of the gallbladder
Where is the place of confluence of bile and pancreatic juice, its enzymes are activated there. In addition to the accumulation of bile, this organ is also responsible for controlling its entry into the duodenum. In the gallbladder with a bile volume of up to 50 milliliters, the latter is in a concentrated form, corresponding to a volume of 1 liter. Its enzymes are involved in the absorption of fats. The release of bile into the duct is controlled by the autonomic nervous system and the composition of the food lump. But unlike the pancreas, which is indispensable for the body, the gall bladder is not such (the photo where this organ is located is presented in this material). When removed, the accumulation of bile occurs in the duodenum.
Pathologies are interconnected
Diseases of the gallbladder include: cholecystitis (inflammatory processes), formation of stones in the ducts (gallstone disease), dyskinesias (impaired duct motility), benign (polyps) and malignant neoplasms, parasitic infections (giardiasis, opisthorchiasis).
The inflammatory process in the pancreas is called pancreatitis and can have a very different etiology. In addition, cysts, polyps, abscesses and malignant neoplasms are diagnosed in this body.
All pathologies have their own symptoms - depending on the type of inflammation in the gland and gall bladder, where a particular organ is located and how it hurts. Often, changes in the gall bladder lead to pancreatic pathologies and vice versa - inflammation in the gall leads to compression of the ducts of the gland and its edema with tissue necrosis.
How to distinguish pathology
Above the text, information is given where the gallbladder is. How does this organ hurt? Pathologies of the pancreas and gall bladder are often difficult to distinguish. And in the first, and in the second case, the pain gives in the right hypochondrium.
Where is the gallbladder and pancreas sore and how painful, we feel after eating very fatty fried or spicy foods, or after taking alcohol. With pancreatitis, pain radiates to the arm, shoulder, or lower back. Often this is accompanied by dyspeptic (nausea, vomiting, heartburn, flatulence) and asthenic (weakness, lack of appetite, fatigue) symptoms.
Features of the pathology of the gallbladder
Where it is located and how biliary it hurts is difficult to recognize. But there are special clinical signs of damage to this organ associated with stagnation of bile:
- Manifestation of yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes.
- Specific skin itching.
- Enlarged spleen.
However, these signs are not enough for an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosis
For accurate diagnosis of pancreatic and biliary pathology, functional tests are required: ultrasound, MRI, CT, splenoportography (vascular x-ray with contrast) and vascular dopplerography. It is thus possible to identify the pathology of the parenchymal layer of the pancreas, the presence of calculi in the ducts and cavities, polyps and other neoplasms.
To clarify the diagnosis, laboratory diagnostics are also carried out: blood tests (total and for sugar), urine and blood diastases, analysis for bilirubin, for total protein in the blood, for cholesterol and alkaline phosphatase.
“Connected by one chain”
Since these organs are closely interconnected with each other, the pathology of one does not proceed in isolation. This is especially true of the second most common pathology (after heart disease) - gallstone disease. When a stone blocks the common duct, the accumulation of bile and pancreatic juice leads to the destruction of the ducts and the outflow of contents into the cavity of the organs. Enzymes of the contents are activated and lead to self-digestion of tissues and necrosis - both the pancreas and the liver, and the gall bladder. Treatment, where the focus of pain is located, must be started immediately. And in our case, self-medication and the use of folk drugs can be very dangerous.
Cholelithiasis: cholelithiasis and other pathologies
The causes of the formation of stones in the ducts of the gallbladder are oversaturation with cholesterol, duct dyskinesia and stagnation of bile, infectious inflammation. Statistically, the main patient with this diagnosis is a woman over 40 years old with fair skin, blond hair, overweight and a history of pregnancy. In men, gallstones appear statistically at an older age and are associated with alcohol abuse and a love of fatty fried meat.
Against the background of cholelithiasis, 90% of patients develop cholecystitis - inflammation of the walls of the bladder stones. But cholecystitis can occur without the formation of stones, and there are several reasons for this:
- Bacterial infections in the gallbladder itself.
- Parasitoses of the small and large intestine.
- Allergies of various etiologies.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (especially hepatitis and pancreatitis).
Diet as a base for prevention
In the treatment and prevention of diseases of the gallbladder and pancreas, the main importance is given to certain rules in the diet. In the treatment of the disease, no medication will help if the patient does not follow a certain diet, which includes the following basic principles of nutrition:
- Fatty, spicy, fried, alcohol and soda are completely excluded.
- Food should be fractional and frequent (up to 6 times a day).
- Green light - oatmeal, rice, semolina, vegetable soups, low-fat dairy products.
- Low-fat meat, poultry and fish are steamed exclusively.
- Strong tea and coffee - no. Juices, compotes and green tea - yes.
- Vegetable oils (olive, corn, linseed) are only the first cold pressed.
With extreme caution, you should take the advice of traditional medicine. The active pace of life and the quality of products that are available to the modern layman are not at all the same as they were at the time of our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers.
And if you delete it?
Cholecystectomy - the so-called resection (removal) of the gallbladder. In severe cases of pathologies, it is she who becomes the only way to save the life of the patient. The function of the gallbladder will be taken over by the duodenum. But with this option, bile will flow into it constantly, which will lead to the upset of microflora in the intestines, constipation or diarrhea.
In case of resection of the pancreas or its part, the patient is prescribed replacement therapy with sugar-lowering drugs or enzymes. Violation of iron secretion of insulin requires a strict diet for a very long time, sometimes throughout life (table 9 for diabetes, table 5 for pancreatitis).
And yet the patient is alive
The quality of life, of course, decreases with resection of these organs. The patient is forced to limit himself in many ways. But life is worth it. And in order not to find out where the gall bladder is located in the person (the photo shows the process of examining the patient with a doctor), it is worth protecting your health from a young age, abandoning bad habits, eating right and not delaying the call to doctors at the first alarming calls from your internal organs . Take care of yourself and be healthy!