The gallbladder is a pear-shaped structure that is found attached to the liver. The bile duct is a tube that transports bile from the liver to the small intestine. The gallbladder is attached to the bile duct by a small tube called the cystic duct. Bile is collected in the gallbladder between meals and empties into the bile duct through the cystic duct during a meal. Gallbladders were also known as cholecyst.
Cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation) causes abdominal pain. 90% of acute cholecystitis are caused by cholelithiasis, the production of gallstones.