vesícula

Vesícula is a term used in Spanish to denote a small sac or cavity. In anatomy, vesícula biliar refers to the gallbladder, a pear-shaped organ located in the right upper abdomen beneath the liver. It stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver and releases it into the small intestine through the common bile duct in response to a fatty meal.

Anatomy and physiology: The gallbladder concentrates bile by removing water and allows the bile to be released when needed. Its walls contract under the influence of cholecystokinin, ejecting bile into the digestive tract. Bile helps emulsify fats and aids digestion.

Health conditions: The most common problems involve gallstones, which can obstruct bile flow and cause biliary colic or cholecystitis. Other conditions include gallbladder inflammation, infection, pancreatitis from duct obstruction, and rarely gallbladder cancer. Diagnosis typically begins with abdominal ultrasound; additional imaging such as a HIDA scan or MRCP, and blood tests assessing liver enzymes and inflammation, may be used.

Treatment: Asymptomatic stones may not require treatment. Symptomatic gallbladder disease is often managed with cholecystectomy, usually performed laparoscopically. Alternatives include oral bile acid therapy to dissolve certain small cholesterol stones or endoscopic procedures to relieve obstruction when necessary.

Other uses: The term vesícula also appears in biology to refer to vesicles, small membrane-bound sacs inside cells that transport substances as part of the endomembrane system.