biliary atresia

noun

: a life-threatening congenital condition marked by the absence, underdevelopment, or blockage of the chiefly extrahepatic bile ducts

Note: Symptoms of jaundice, darkened urine, pale stools, and liver enlargement usually appear within the first several weeks of birth. Without treatment, bile accumulates inside the liver leading to scarring and impaired liver function.

… in infants with biliary atresia, the bile backs up, causing liver inflammation, yellowing of the skin and an inability to properly digest fatty foods.

—Kathy A. Fackelmann, Science News