The biliary tract

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The biliary tract is a part of the digestive system. It is responsible for transporting bile from the liver to the small intestine for digestion. The biliary tract is made up of the gallbladder and bile ducts.

The gallbladder

The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of the body, under the right lobe of the liver. The gallbladder stores and concentrates (absorbs water from) bile, then releases it into the first part of the small intestine (duodenum) for digestion.

The body can function without the gallbladder. If it needs to be removed because of disease or another problem, there are no serious long-term effects and the body can still digest food.

The bile ducts

The bile ducts are a series of thin tubes that connect the liver, gallbladder and duodenum to carry bile.

What the biliary tract does

The biliary tract stores, concentrates and transports bile to be used for digestion. Bile helps the body digest fats and remove waste. Bile is mainly made up of:

  • bile salts
  • bile pigments (such as bilirubin)
  • fats (such as cholesterol)
  • water

Bile drains from the liver through the intrahepatic bile ducts and flows into the hepatic duct. If the bile is not needed for digestion at that time, it flows into the cystic duct and then into the gallbladder, where it is stored. The gallbladder can store about 30 to 80 mL (6 to 16 tsp) of bile. The gallbladder absorbs water from the bile, making it more concentrated. When bile is needed for digestion after a meal, the gallbladder contracts and releases it into the cystic duct. The bile then flows into the common bile duct and into the duodenum where it will be used for digestion.

Structure of the gallbladder

The gallbladder is about 7 to 10 cm (3 to 4 inches) long and about 2.5 to 4 cm (1 to 1.5 inches) wide.

The gallbladder is made up of 4 four layers of tissue.

  • The mucosa is the inner layer of the gallbladder. It is made up of epithelial cells (epithelium) and loose connective tissue (lamina propria).

  • The muscular layer is a smooth muscle layer above the mucosa.

  • The perimuscular layer is a connective tissue layer that covers the muscular layer.

  • The serosa is the outermost layer that covers the outside of the gallbladder.

The gallbladder is connected to the liver and duodenum by a series of tubes (the bile ducts).

Structure of the bile ducts

The common bile duct is a very thin tube, about 10 to 12.5 cm (4 to 5 inches) long and less than 6 mm (less than 0.25 inches) in diameter.

A series of smaller ducts come together and drain into the common bile duct, which drains bile into the duodenum.

Many tiny tubes in the liver first collect bile from the liver cells. These tiny tubes join to form small ducts, which come together to form larger ducts called the right and left hepatic ducts. The right and left hepatic ducts exit the liver and then join together at the hilum (also called the hilar area) to form the common hepatic duct.

Diagram of the structure of the bile ducts
Diagram of the structure of the bile ducts

The common hepatic duct joins the cystic duct (which connects to the gallbladder) to form the common bile duct. The common bile duct passes through the pancreas before it empties bile into the duodenum. The lower part of the common bile duct drains into the duodenum through a channel called the ampulla of Vater.

The system of bile ducts is divided into 3 main segments based on their location: intrahepatic, perihilar and distal.

Intrahepatic bile ducts

The bile ducts inside the liver are called the intrahepatic bile ducts. The tiny tubes and small ducts that collect bile from the liver cells join together into larger and larger ducts, ending in the left and right hepatic ducts. These ducts drain bile from the right and left lobes of the liver.

Perihilar bile ducts

The first series of bile ducts outside the liver (called the extrahepatic bile ducts) are the perihilar bile ducts. They are located between the hilum and the point where the cystic duct and common hepatic duct join to form the common bile duct. Because the perihilar bile ducts are closest to the liver, they may also be called the proximal extrahepatic bile ducts.

Distal bile duct

The latter part of the extrahepatic bile ducts is the distal bile duct. It is farther away from the liver, located between the ampulla of Vater and the point where the cystic duct joins the common hepatic duct (but does not include these structures). The distal bile duct is made up of the common bile duct.

Expert review and references

  • Vincent Tam, BSc(Hon), MD, FRCPC
  • American Cancer Society. What is Gallbladder Cancer?. 2023. https://www.cancer.org/.
  • How does the gallbladder work?. Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care. InformedHealth.org. 2018.
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine. The Biliary System: Anatomy and Functions. Baltimore, MD: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/. September 27, 2023.
  • Jones MW, Hannoode S, Young M. Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Gallbladder. StatPearls [Internet]. 2022.
  • Lal N, Mehra S, Lal V. Ultrasonographic measurement of normal common bile duct diameter and its correlation with age, sex, and anthropometry. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2014: 8(12): AC01-AC04.
  • Patel T, Mody K, Krishnan S. Cancer of the Biliary Tree. DeVita VT Jr, Lawrence TS, Rosenberg S. eds. DeVita Hellman and Rosenberg's Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer; 2023: Kindle version, [chapter 37], https://read.amazon.ca/?asin=B0BG3DPT4Q&language=en-CA.

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