Definition of "atresia" []

• The absence or closure of a normal body orifice or tubular passage such as the anus, intestine, or external ear canal. (noun)
• The degeneration and resorption of one or more ovarian follicles before a state of maturity has been reached. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The purpose of surgery for children with biliary atresia is to restore bile flow."
• "Biliary atresia is associated with several malformations including a malformation of the spleen, i.e. asplenia or polysplenia."
• "Biliary atresia is a serious liver disorder that occurs shortly after birth when a newborn's bile ducts (the tubes that carry bile from the liver) become blocked."