Atresia (plural: atresias) refers to a situation where there is absence, underdevelopment or abnormal closure, of a normal anatomical tubular structure or opening.
Contrast this with agenesis which refers to the complete absence of any anatomical structure including its primordial precursors.
For example:
-
respiratory tract
-
alimentary tract
-
bile ducts
-
genitourinary tract
-
skeleton
Some authors occasionally overlap the two terms (i.e. atresia and agenesis), which in general is an erroneous practice.
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.