Cholecystitis most often presents with pain in which quadrant?

• A. Right Upper Quadrant Pain
• B. Left Upper Quadrant Pain
• C. Pain in the Back Only
• D. Loss of Hearing

Answer: (A)

Pain from cholecystitis is centered in the right upper quadrant because the gallbladder sits beneath the liver in that area. Inflammation of the gallbladder causes a local ache there, often after a fatty meal. It can sometimes radiate to the right shoulder or the area between the shoulder blades, but the strongest and most consistent location is the right upper quadrant. Pain in the left upper quadrant would point to other organs such as the stomach, spleen, or pancreas, not the gallbladder. Pain confined to the back is not the typical presentation, though back radiation can occur; loss of hearing has no relation to gallbladder disease. So, the right upper quadrant is the most common and characteristic location.