Cystic duct

Last revised by Raymond Chieng on 19 Apr 2023

The cystic duct connects the neck of the gallbladder to the common hepatic duct (CHD), draining bile to and from the biliary tree.

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.

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%)

Conditions that may affect the cystic duct include:

ADVERTISEMENT: Supporters see fewer/no ads

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.