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Cholecystitis
Make it clearer
Cholecystitis means the gallbladder is inflamed. It often begins when a gallstone plugs the cystic duct, the small passage that carries bile out. Picture a pouch with its spout blocked: fluid stays trapped and the wall is stretched from within.
The gallstone is the plug; cholecystitis is the inflammation that develops in the pouch. That is why gallstones and cholecystitis are closely related, but they are not identical conditions.
In brief
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. The acute form most often develops when a gallstone blocks the cystic duct, the narrow channel through which the gallbladder drains.
When the blockage persists, bile remains trapped, the gallbladder wall stretches, and inflammation continues. A gallstone and inflammation are not the same thing: the stone often starts the obstruction, while cholecystitis describes the resulting inflammatory change in the organ.
Sources (2)
- National Center for Biotechnology InformationAcute Cholecystitis
- National Center for Biotechnology InformationPhysiology, Gallbladder
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated