Chapter 22

Motility of the Biliary Tract

Gary M. Mawe

Gary M. Mawe

University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA

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Brigitte Lavoie

Brigitte Lavoie

University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA

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Peter L. Moses

Peter L. Moses

University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, USA

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Maria J. Pozo

Maria J. Pozo

University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain

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First published: 27 November 2015

Summary

This chapter provides an overview of the current knowledge of biliary tract motor activity and its regulation. As motility primarily involves the activities of two cell types, neurons and smooth muscle, the chapter also provides a summary of the basic physiology of the nerves and smooth muscle in the gallbladder and sphincter of Oddi (SO) with clinical correlations provided whenever possible. Determination of the cellular mechanisms that are responsible for gallbladder motility in health and disease is difficult in humans; therefore, much of what is known about the structure and function of gallbladder neurons and smooth muscle is derived from animal studies. The chapter describes how the nerves and smooth muscle of these organs function during the bile retention and bile flow phases of the feeding cycle. It examines what is currently known about the roles of nerves and smooth muscle in the biliary tract under pathophysiological conditions.

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