Topics: Digestive Disorders : Biliary Atresia

Biliary atresia occurs when biliary ducts are obstructed due to progressive sclerosis of the common bile duct. In most cases, biliary atresia develops a few weeks after birth, probably after inflammation and scarring of the extrahepatic (and sometimes intrahepatic) bile ducts. It is rarely found in stillborns or in newborns at birth. The cause of the inflammatory response is uncertain.