Gallbladder infection is a serious, potentially life-threatening complication of gallstone disease. Infection most commonly occurs due to persistent gallstone obstruction of one of the ducts that transport bile from the gallbladder to the intestine.

The gallbladder is a pouch-like organ located just under the liver; it stores bile, which is released into the small intestine to aid digestion. When bile becomes supersaturated, some of its chemicals come out of the solution as microscopic crystals. Crystal-laden bile is called biliary sludge.

Cholesterolosis is the accumulation of cholesterol in the cells lining the gallbladder wall, the submucosal macrophages. The condition often occurs seen when the gall bladder from a person suffering from gallstones, or cholelithiasis, is dissected.

The gallbladder, a small organ located just under your liver, is basically a sac for storing bile. The liver produces bile and transfers it through ducts to your gallbladder, which releases it to digest fat. At some point and for reasons that are not clearly understood, you may form gallstones.

The main purpose of your gallbladder is to store and concentrate bile, a digestive fluid your small intestine uses to break down fats. Gallbladder problems are fairly common in developed nations -- roughly 25 million Americans have gallstones, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.