Cystic duct
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Oh C, Hacking C, Walizai T, et al. Cystic duct. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 15 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-24818
rID:
24818
Article created:
15 Sep 2013,
Chia Wei Oh
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Chia Wei Oh had no recorded disclosures.
View Chia Wei Oh's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had the following disclosures:
- Philips Australia, Paid speaker at Philips Spectral CT events (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures
Revisions:
20 times, by
15 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Systems:
Sections:
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Synonyms:
- Cystic ducts
The cystic duct connects the neck of the gallbladder to the common hepatic duct (CHD), draining bile to and from the biliary tree.
On this page:
Gross anatomy
The confluence of the cystic duct and the common hepatic duct forms the common bile duct (CBD). The cystic duct is approximately 2-3 cm long and 2-3 mm in diameter. It contains multiple endoluminal mucosal folds known as the spiral mucosal folds (of Heister) 5.
Arterial supply
variable supply, with blood coming from cystic artery, and left and right hepatic arteries 6,7
Venous drainage
Variant anatomy
There are three main variations of the cystic duct 3:
low cystic duct insertion: into the distal-third of the CHD (~10%)
medial cystic duct insertion: into the left, not the right, side of the CHD (~15%)
parallel cystic duct course: courses parallel to the CHD for at least 2 cm (~10%)
Related pathology
Conditions that may affect the cystic duct include:
cystic duct obstruction, which can result in cholecystitis
cystic duct-duodenal fistula
malignancy (e.g. cholangiocarcinoma)
References
- 1. Chummy S. Sinnatamby. Last's Anatomy. (1999) ISBN: 9780443056116 - Google Books
- 2. Turner M & Fulcher A. The Cystic Duct: Normal Anatomy and Disease Processes. Radiographics. 2001;21(1):3-22; questionnaire 288-94. doi:10.1148/radiographics.21.1.g01ja093 - Pubmed
- 3. Mortelé K & Ros P. Anatomic Variants of the Biliary Tree: MR Cholangiographic Findings and Clinical Applications. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2001;177(2):389-94. doi:10.2214/ajr.177.2.1770389 - Pubmed
- 4. Wu Y, Liu Z, Mrikhi R et al. Anatomical Variations of the Cystic Duct: Two Case Reports. World J Gastroenterol. 2008;14(1):155-7. doi:10.3748/wjg.14.155 - Pubmed
- 5. Pina L, Samoilovich F, Urrutia S, Rodríguez A, Alle L, Ferreres A. Surgical Considerations of the Cystic Duct and Heister Valves. Surg J (N Y). 2015;1(1):e23-7. doi:10.1055/s-0035-1567879 - Pubmed
- 6. Chen W, Ying D, Liu Z, He Z. Analysis of the Arterial Supply of the Extrahepatic Bile Ducts and Its Clinical Significance. Clin Anat. 1999;12(4):245-9. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-2353(1999)12:4<245::AID-CA2>3.0.CO;2-W - Pubmed
- 7. Ramesh Babu C & Sharma M. Biliary Tract Anatomy and Its Relationship with Venous Drainage. J Clin Exp Hepatol. 2014;4(Suppl 1):S18-26. doi:10.1016/j.jceh.2013.05.002 - Pubmed
Incoming Links
Articles:
- Gallbladder perforation
- Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (staging)
- Common hepatic duct
- Cholangiocarcinoma
- Multiple gallbladders
- Chronic cholecystitis
- Spiral mucosal folds
- Cystic artery
- Mirizzi syndrome
- Hepatocystic triangle
- Acute cholecystitis
- Gallbladder
- Medical abbreviations and acronyms (C)
- Cystic vein
- Common bile duct
- Biliary tree anatomy
- Gastrinoma triangle
Cases:
- Mirizzi syndrome
- Mirizzi syndrome
- Gallbladder
- Cystic duct stump stone
- Cystic duct dilation from obstructed CBD stent
- Gallbladder agenesis
- Bile plug syndrome
- Type II pancreas divisum with low medial insertion of cystic duct
- Normal HIDA scan
- Cystic duct obstruction (HIDA scan)
- Gallbladder remnant cholelithiasis and cholecystitis
- Cystic artery anatomic variation (diagram)
- Cystohepatic (Calot) triangle (diagram)
- Cystic duct (ultrasound)
- Biliary duct anatomic variation (diagram)
- Low medial cystic duct insertion
- Prominent cystic duct - post cholecystectomy
- Choledocholithiasis
- Cystic duct stump stone
- Cystic duct stump stones
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