Bile Duct Diseases

Summary

Your liver makes a digestive juice called bile. Your gallbladder stores it between meals. When you eat, your gallbladder pushes the bile into tubes called bile ducts. They carry the bile to your small intestine. The bile helps break down fat. It also helps the liver get rid of toxins and wastes.

Different diseases can block the bile ducts and cause a problem with the flow of bile:

• Gallstones, which can increase pressure in the gallbladder and cause a gallbladder attack. The pain usually lasts from one to several hours.
• Cancer
• Infections
• Birth defects, such as biliary atresia. It is the most common reason for liver transplants in children in the United States.
• Inflammation, which can cause scarring. Over time, this can lead to liver failure.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Encyclopedia

• 5′-nucleotidase Medical Encyclopedia
• Abdominal MRI scan Medical Encyclopedia
• ALP isoenzyme test Medical Encyclopedia
• Antimitochondrial antibody Medical Encyclopedia
• Bile culture Medical Encyclopedia
• Biopsy – biliary tract Medical Encyclopedia
• Fecal fat Medical Encyclopedia
• Gallbladder radionuclide scan Medical Encyclopedia
• Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram Medical Encyclopedia
• Sclerosing cholangitis Medical Encyclopedia

Genetics

• Alagille syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Primary sclerosing cholangitis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine

Diagnosis and Tests

• Alkaline Phosphatase National Library of Medicine
• Bilirubin Blood Test National Library of Medicine
• ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Gamma-glutamyl Transferase (GGT) Test National Library of Medicine
• HIDA Scan Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) Radiological Society of North America
• Understanding EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasonography) American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Patient Handouts

• ALP – blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Bile duct obstruction Medical Encyclopedia
• Bile duct stricture Medical Encyclopedia
• Biliary atresia Medical Encyclopedia
• Cholangitis Medical Encyclopedia
• Cholestasis Medical Encyclopedia
• ERCP Medical Encyclopedia
• Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) blood test Medical Encyclopedia
• Primary biliary cirrhosis Medical Encyclopedia

Find an Expert

• American Liver Foundation American Liver Foundation
• ASGE: Find a Doctor American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
• Find a Cancer Doctor American Society of Clinical Oncology
• Find a Gastroenterologist American College of Gastroenterology
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Treatments and Therapies

• Bile Duct Exploration Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• Biliary obstruction – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP) – series — Normal anatomy Medical Encyclopedia
• Understanding ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Specifics

• Bile Reflux Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Cholestasis Merck & Co., Inc.
• Primary Biliary Cholangitis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
• Primary Biliary Cholangitis (Primary Biliary Cirrhosis) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
• Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) American Liver Foundation
• Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Children

• Biliary Atresia Nemours Foundation
• Biliary Atresia National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Related Issues

• Biliary Tract Disorders, Gallbladder Disorders, and Gallstone Pancreatitis American College of Gastroenterology

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Bile Duct Diseases National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cholangitis National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cholestasis National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary National Institutes of Health

Reference Desk

• Gallbladder and Biliary Tract Merck & Co., Inc.
• Your Digestive System and How It Works National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Journal Articles

• Bile Duct Diseases