Organ
Cystic duct
Bidirectional connection to the gallbladder
High-yield
Cystic duct entry marks the beginning of the common bile duct. The spiral folds called valves of Heister are mucosal folds, not a simple one-way valve.
Overview
The cystic duct links the gallbladder neck with the extrahepatic hepatic duct. Bile can travel through it toward the gallbladder during filling and away from the gallbladder during emptying. Its length, route and joining point vary, as does the arrangement of its internal mucosal folds.
Reference facts
- Location
- Connects the gallbladder neck to the hepatic duct, usually approaching the junction from the right.
- Parts
- A narrow lumen with variably developed oblique or spiral mucosal folds; length and confluence pattern differ between individuals.
- Blood supply
- Chiefly small branches of the cystic artery and neighboring periductal vessels.
- Innervation
- Hepatic/celiac autonomic pathways with vagal parasympathetic contributions.
- Relations
- Forms an inferolateral boundary of the hepatocystic triangle; cystic vessels and lymphatic tissue are nearby.
- Function
- Permits both filling and emptying of the gallbladder; fold morphology does not impose a one-way direction of flow.
Clinical correlation
A cystic duct obstruction impedes gallbladder drainage while hepatic bile may still reach the duodenum. An impacted stone near the neck or cystic duct can also compress the adjacent hepatic duct, producing the obstructive pattern of Mirizzi syndrome.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the cystic duct located?
The cystic duct lies connects the gallbladder neck to the hepatic duct, usually approaching the junction from the right.
What does the cystic duct do?
Permits both filling and emptying of the gallbladder; fold morphology does not impose a one-way direction of flow.
What are the parts of the cystic duct?
A narrow lumen with variably developed oblique or spiral mucosal folds; length and confluence pattern differ between individuals.
What is the blood supply of the cystic duct?
Chiefly small branches of the cystic artery and neighboring periductal vessels.