An important task of the liver is producing and excreting bile. This yellow-green bitter tasting fluid flows into the intestine through the bile ducts. The bile ducts in the liver are like the branches on a tree, that come together just below the stomach. A side branch leads to a sack for storing bile, called the gallbladder.
Gallbladder disease is a common type of illness involving the biliary tree.
Less common, but significant, is cystic disease of the biliary tree. It forms a sack or cyst which then presses on the bile duct and prevents bile form reaching the intestine. Occasionally this accumulation of bile becomes infected, causing abdominal pain and fever. In some patients the cyst can be felt by the doctor examining the abdomen. Treatment is surgical.