Bile: Bile is a yellow-green fluid that is made by the liver, stored in the gallbladder and passes through the common bile duct into the duodenum where it helps digest fat. The principal components of bile are cholesterol, bile salts, and the pigment bilirubin.
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Blood: The familiar red fluid in the body that contains white and red blood cells, platelets, proteins, and other elements. The blood is transported throughout the body by the circulatory system. Blood functions in two directions: arterial and venous. Arterial blood is the means by which oxygen and nutrients are transported to tissues while venous blood is the means by which carbon dioxide and metabolic by-products are transported to the lungs and kidneys, respectively, for removal from the body.
Bypass: An operation in which a surgeon creates a new tubular pathway for the movement of fluids and/or other substances in the body.
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Cholangiogram: A radiologic procedure used to look at the gallbladder and bile ducts. See also: Intravenous cholangiogram.
Cholangiography: Radiographic examination of the bile ducts with contrast medium. The contrast medium may be administered orally or injected intravenously or percutaneously (through the skin).
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Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: Abbreviated ERCP. A procedure done to diagnose and treat problems in the liver, gallbladder, bile ducts, and pancreas, including gallstones , inflammatory strictures (scars), leaks (from trauma and surgery), and cancer . ERCP combines the use of x-rays and an endoscope (a long, flexible, lighted tube). Through it, the physician can see the inside of the stomach and duodenum and inject dye into the bile ducts and pancreas so they can be seen on x-ray. ERCP takes 30 minutes to 2 hours. Possible complications of ERCP include pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), infection, bleeding, and perforation of the duodenum.
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Endoscopic ultrasound : Abbreviated EUS. A procedure that combines endoscopy and ultrasound to obtain images and information about the digestive tract and the surrounding tissue and organs. In EUS a small ultrasound transducer is installed on the tip of the endoscope allowing the transducer to get close to the organs inside the body so the resultant ultrasound images are often more accurate and detailed than ones obtained by traditional ultrasound.
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ERCP: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.
Gallbladder: A pear-shaped organ just below the liver that stores the bile secreted by the liver. During a fatty meal, the gallbladder contracts, delivering the bile through the bile ducts into the intestines to help with digestion. Abnormal composition of bile leads to formation of gallstones, a process termed cholelithiasis. The gallstones cause cholecystitis, inflammation of the gallbladder.
Gallstones : Stones that form when substances in the bile harden. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. There can be just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or any combination.
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Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion. It consists of the small and large intestines.
Intravenous cholangiogram: Abbreviated IVC. A radiologic procedure used primarily to look at the larger bile ducts in the liver and the bile ducts outside the liver. IVC can be used to locate gallstones within the bile ducts and identify other causes of obstruction to the flow of bile. For an IVC, an iodine-containing dye is injected intravenously. The dye is removed from blood by the liver which excretes it into the bile. The dye outlines the bile ducts and any gallstones that may be within them.
Iodine: An essential element in the diet used by the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormones .
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Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally high blood levels of the bile pigment bilirubin . The yellowing extends to other tissues and body fluids. Jaundice was once called the "morbus regius" (the regal disease) in the belief that only the touch of a king could cure it.
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Liver: An organ in the upper abdomen that aids in digestion and removes waste products and worn-out cells from the blood. The liver is the largest solid organ in the body. The liver weighs about three and a half pounds (1.6 kilograms). It measures about 8 inches (20 cm) horizontally (across) and 6.5 inches (17 cm) vertically (down) and is 4.5 inches (12 cm) thick.
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MRI: Abbreviation and nickname for magnetic resonance imaging. For more information, see: Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Paul C. Lauterbur; Peter Mansfield.
Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal obstruction.
Radiologic: Having to do with radiology.
Small intestine: The part of the digestive tract that extends from the stomach to the large intestine.
Ultrasound : High-frequency sound waves. Ultrasound waves can be bounced off of tissues using special devices. The echoes are then converted into a picture called a sonogram. Ultrasound imaging, referred to as ultrasonography, allows physicians and patients to get an inside view of soft tissues and body cavities, without using invasive techniques. Ultrasound is often used to examine a fetus during pregnancy. There is no convincing evidence for any danger from ultrasound during pregnancy.
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X-ray: 1. High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-rays possess the properties of penetrating most substances (to varying extents), of acting on a photographic film or plate (permitting radiography), and of causing a fluorescent screen to give off light (permitting fluoroscopy). In low doses X-rays are used for making images that help to diagnose disease, and in high doses to treat cancer . Formerly called a Roentgen ray. 2. An image obtained by means of X-rays.
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- Gallstones - Learn about gallstones symptoms like biliary colic, constant pain in the middle of the upper abdomen, or right upper abomen accompanied by nausea. Causes and treatment information is also included.
- The Digestive System - Read about the digestive system from chewing food, swallowing, emptying into the stomach, through the small and large intestines, and then expelling waste through the anus.
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