Gallbladder and Biliary Tract

Description

Posterior anatomy of the extrahepatic biliary tract is rendered with the gallbladder (vesica biliaris) inferior to the liver, its fundus projecting anteroinferiorly while the neck turns superomedially to continue as the cystic duct. Proximally, the right and left hepatic ducts unite to form the common hepatic duct, which meets the cystic duct to create the common bile duct descending inferiorly toward the second part of the duodenum. The common bile duct lies anterior to the portal vein and typically lateral to the proper hepatic artery within the hepatoduodenal ligament before coursing posterior to the first part of the duodenum. Calot’s (hepatocystic) triangle is implied between the cystic duct, common hepatic duct, and the inferior surface of the liver. A posterior view earns its keep when you need to explain where the duct actually runs once it leaves the porta hepatis, because many learners default to an anterior mental model and miss the retroduodenal and pancreatic relationships. That blind spot shows up clinically in choledocholithiasis and ascending cholangitis, where an obstructing stone in the distal common bile duct causes jaundice and biliary dilation upstream. It also matters in cholecystectomy. Misidentifying the common bile duct as the cystic duct remains a feared mechanism of bile duct injury. Use this artwork for hepatobiliary teaching in gross anatomy, GI block curricula, and surgical anatomy primers that emphasize ductal junctions and safe dissection planes in the hepatocystic triangle. It also suits patient-facing education on gallstones, acute cholecystitis, and ERCP by clarifying how bile drains from liver to duodenum. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.