What does CBD mean in medical terms?

Most often the common bile duct, the tube that carries bile from the liver and gallbladder into the small intestine. In neurology it can mean corticobasal degeneration, in lung medicine chronic beryllium disease, and on a medicine list cannabidiol.

A gallstone lodged in the common bile duct. The medical name is choledocholithiasis.

My report says the CBD is dilated. What does that mean?

That the common bile duct measured wider than expected on the scan. What it means for you depends on your age, history and other findings, so ask the doctor who ordered the scan.

Should I tell my doctor if I take CBD?

Yes. The FDA says cannabidiol can change how other medicines work, so it belongs on your medicine list.

CBD (medicine)

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CBD as a medical abbreviation: the common bile duct, and three other meanings

In medical notes, CBD usually means the common bile duct, the tube that carries bile into the small intestine.

By The glossary desk. Published Oct 5, 2026

CBD /ˌsiːˌbiːˈdiː/ abbr. In medicine, most often the common bile duct. The context of the note decides which of the senses below is meant.

(anatomy) common bile duct. The tube that carries bile from the gallbladder to the intestine (MedlinePlus). It begins where the duct from the liver meets the duct from the gallbladder, and it ends in the first part of the small intestine.
(neurology) corticobasal degeneration. A rare disease in which parts of the brain that control movement waste away over time (NINDS).
(occupational and lung medicine) chronic beryllium disease, also called berylliosis: a chronic lung disease caused by an immune response to beryllium dust or fumes (OSHA).
(pharmacy, on a medicine list) cannabidiol. See cannabidiol.

Outside medicine In planning, CBD is the central business district of a city.

Checked against the sources below on Oct. 4, 2026.

Notes

Where does the common bile duct run?

The liver makes bile and the gallbladder stores it until a meal, when it flows into the small intestine to help digest fat (MedlinePlus). Bile leaves the liver through the common hepatic duct and the gallbladder through the cystic duct. Where those two join, the common bile duct begins. It runs down behind the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum) and opens into it, in most people together with the duct from the pancreas.

Phrases you may see on a report

Phrase	Plain reading
“CBD normal calibre”	The common bile duct is the expected width
“CBD dilated”, “prominent CBD”	It measured wider than expected on the scan
“CBD stone”, “choledocholithiasis”	A gallstone is in the common bile duct (MedlinePlus)
“CBD 5 mm”	The width the scan measured, in millimetres
“CBD exploration”	A procedure to look inside the duct, often to remove a stone

What counts as a normal width depends on age and on whether the gallbladder has been removed. A report is read by the doctor who ordered it, with your history; this table only translates the words.

How do you tell the meanings apart?

By the kind of note. A scan of the abdomen, a liver or gallbladder test or a surgical note means the bile duct. A neurologist’s letter about movement or stiffness on one side means corticobasal degeneration. A lung clinic note for a worker exposed to metals means chronic beryllium disease. A list of the medicines and supplements you take means cannabidiol. When the context does not settle it, ask the person who wrote the note.

Why does cannabidiol belong on a medicine list?

The FDA says cannabidiol can change how other drugs work and can cause liver injury (FDA). Doctors ask about it for that reason. The what CBD does entry lists the side effects the FDA names.

The shop on this site

Nothing in the shop is a medicine or a CBD product. Our menu today is high-THCA hemp flower, not CBD flower. Smoked, it gets you high and shows up on THC drug tests.

This entry translates medical words. It is not medical advice.

Sources

NIH, National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus: Choledocholithiasis.
NIH, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Corticobasal Degeneration.
NIH, National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus: Bile duct obstruction.
U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Beryllium: Health Effects.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD.

Questions

What does CBD mean in medical terms?: Most often the common bile duct, the tube that carries bile from the liver and gallbladder into the small intestine. In neurology it can mean corticobasal degeneration, in lung medicine chronic beryllium disease, and on a medicine list cannabidiol.
What is a CBD stone?: A gallstone lodged in the common bile duct. The medical name is choledocholithiasis.
My report says the CBD is dilated. What does that mean?: That the common bile duct measured wider than expected on the scan. What it means for you depends on your age, history and other findings, so ask the doctor who ordered the scan.
Should I tell my doctor if I take CBD?: Yes. The FDA says cannabidiol can change how other medicines work, so it belongs on your medicine list.

A note on our shop: it sells high-THCA hemp flower, not CBD flower.