Your liver is responsible for producing a vital digestive fluid known as bile. This bile is stored in your gallbladder between meals and is released into bile ducts when you eat. These bile ducts carry the bile to your small intestine, where it plays a crucial role in breaking down fats and assisting the liver in eliminating toxins and waste products from your body.

Various diseases can obstruct the normal flow of bile through the ducts, leading to health issues, including:

Gallstones: These small, hard deposits can accumulate in the gallbladder, increasing pressure and potentially causing a painful gallbladder attack, which typically lasts for a few hours.

Cancer: Bile duct cancer or other liver-related malignancies can obstruct the ducts, affecting the flow of bile and leading to serious health problems.

Infections: Bile duct infections can impair the function of the ducts and disrupt the proper flow of bile.

Birth defects: Conditions like biliary atresia, a congenital defect, can obstruct bile ducts and are one of the leading causes of liver transplants in children in the United States.

Inflammation: Chronic inflammation of the bile ducts can result in scarring over time, potentially leading to liver failure.

For more information about Bile Duct/Biliary Disease, click here.