Anterior Display of the Gallbladder Infundibulum

Description

Positioned in the right upper quadrant beneath the inferior surface of the liver, the gallbladder infundibulum (neck, cervix vesicae biliaris) appears as a tapering, funnel-shaped segment between the body of the gallbladder and the cystic duct. An anterior perspective emphasizes the transition as the infundibulum narrows medially and posteriorly toward the cystic duct while remaining inferior to the hepatic hilum. The adjacent peritoneal reflections and the hepatic surface relationship frame the infundibulum’s contour. Hartmann pouch, when present, forms a focal bulge along the inferomedial aspect of the neck. Surgeons focus on this region during laparoscopic cholecystectomy because a distended infundibulum or prominent Hartmann pouch can obscure Calot triangle and blur the distinction between the cystic duct and the common hepatic duct. Gallstones commonly lodge at the neck, producing acute cholecystitis, and an impacted stone in Hartmann pouch may compress the common hepatic duct (Mirizzi syndrome) with obstructive jaundice. Small area, high consequence. Teaching teams also use this view to orient learners to the proximal biliary tract before introducing the cystic duct spiral valves, the cystic artery relationship, and the critical view of safety. It suits hepatobiliary anatomy modules, surgical atlases illustrating cholecystectomy exposure, and patient education graphics explaining gallstone impaction at the gallbladder neck. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.