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Cystic duct and Heister's "valves"

D Dasgupta1, M D Stringer

  • 1Children's Liver and GI Unit, St. James's University Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF, United Kingdom.

Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.)
|February 8, 2005
PubMed

Insights

The cystic duct

Area of Science:

  • Anatomy
  • Physiology
  • Gastroenterology

Background:

  • The anatomy and physiology of the cystic duct are not well understood.
  • The function of the spiral mucosal folds (valves of Heister) remains obscure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the gross and microscopic anatomy of the cystic duct.
  • To investigate the function of the cystic duct and its spiral folds.

Main Methods:

  • Review of gross and microscopic anatomy.
  • Laboratory investigations into the function of the cystic duct and its spiral folds.

Main Results:

  • The cystic duct and its spiral folds contain muscle fibers responsive to various stimuli.
  • No evidence of a discrete muscular sphincter in the cystic duct was found.
  • The cystic duct may facilitate gallbladder emptying through coordinated muscular activity.
  • Spiral folds likely preserve the patency of the cystic duct rather than regulate bile flow.

Conclusions:

  • The cystic duct is more than a passive conduit and may play a role in gallbladder emptying.
  • The spiral folds of Heister primarily serve to maintain the patency of the cystic duct.

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