Bile Health Dictionary

A greenish-brown alkaline liquid secreted by the liver. Bile carries away waste products formed in the liver and also helps to break down fats in the small intestine for digestion.

The waste products in bile include the pigments bilirubin and biliverdin, which give bile its greenish-brown colour; bile salts, which aid in the breakdown and absorption of fats; and cholesterol. Bile passes out of the liver through the bile ducts and is then concentrated and stored in the gallbladder. After a meal, bile is expelled and enters the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine) via the common bile duct. Most of the bile salts are later reabsorbed into the bloodstream to be recycled by the liver into bile. Bile pigments are excreted in the faeces. (See also biliary system; colestyramine.)

bile duct Any of the ducts by which bile is carried from the liver, first to the gallbladder and then to the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine). The bile duct system forms a network of tubular canals. Canaliculi (small canals) surround the liver cells and collect the bile. The canaliculi join together to form ducts of increasing size. The ducts emerge from the liver as the 2 hepatic ducts, which join within or just outside the liver to form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct branches off to the gallbladder; from this point the common hepatic duct becomes the common bile duct and leads into the duodenum.

(See also biliary system.)

bile duct cancer See cholangiocarcinoma. bile duct obstruction A blockage or constriction of a bile duct (see biliary system). Bile duct obstruction results in accumulation of bile in the liver (cholestasis) and jaundice due to a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. Prolonged obstruction of the bile duct can lead to secondary biliary cirrhosis. The most common cause of obstruction is gallstones. Other causes include a tumour affecting the pancreas (see pancreas, cancer of), where the bile duct passes through it, or cancer that has spread from elsewhere in the body. Cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile ducts) is a very rare cause of blockage. Bile duc.

obstruction is a rare side effect of certain drugs. It may also be caused by cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts), trauma (such as injury during surgery), and rarely by flukes or worms.

Bile duct obstruction causes “obstructive” jaundice, which is characterized by pale-coloured faeces, dark urine, and a yellow skin colour.

There may also be itching.

Other symptoms may include abdominal pain (with gallstones) or weight loss (with cancer).

Treatment depends on the cause, but surgery may be necessary.

Gallstones may be removed with an endoscope (see ERCP).

A thick, bitter, greenish-brown ?uid, secreted by the liver and stored in the gall-bladder (see LIVER). Consisting of water, mucus, bile pigments including BILIRUBIN, and various salts, it is discharged through the bile ducts into the intestine a few centimetres below the stomach. This discharge is increased shortly after eating, and again a few hours later. It helps in the digestion and absorption of food, particularly fats, and is itself reabsorbed, passing back through the blood of the liver. In JAUNDICE, obstruction of the bile ducts prevents discharge, leading to a build-up of bile in the blood and deposition in the tissues. The skin becomes greenish-yellow, while the stools become grey or white and the urine dark. Vomiting of bile is a sign of intestinal obstruction, but may occur in any case of persistent retching or vomiting, and should be fully investigated.

n. a thick alkaline fluid that is secreted by the *liver and stored in the *gall bladder, from which it is ejected intermittently into the duodenum via the common *bile duct. Bile may be yellow, green, or brown, according to the proportions of the *bile pigments (excretory products) present; other constituents are lecithin, cholesterol, and *bile salts. The bile salts help to emulsify fats in the duodenum so that they can be more easily digested by pancreatic *lipase into fatty acids and glycerol. Bile salts also form compounds with fatty acids, which can then be transported into the *lacteals. Bile also helps to stimulate *peristalsis in the duodenum.