A 10-Year-Old Boy Is Brought to the Hospital for Difficulty

question 773

Multiple Choice

A 10-year-old boy is brought to the hospital for difficulty swallowing.  During dinner a few hours ago, a piece of chicken became stuck in the patient's mid-chest region.  His parents say that he has previously had the sensation of food becoming stuck, but it has never lasted this long.  The patient has vomited multiple times, but the chicken has not dislodged.  Medical history is significant for eczema.  He is drooling and visibly uncomfortable.  An upper endoscopy is performed to remove the chicken from the esophagus, which exhibits multiple stacked, circular, ringlike indentations; linear furrowing; and scattered, small, whitish papules.  Which of the following findings is most likely to be seen on biopsy of this patient's esophagus?

• A)Eosinophilic infiltration of the esophageal mucosa
• B)Ganglionic degeneration within the myenteric plexus
• C)Intestinal metaplasia of the esophageal epithelium
• D)Replacement of the esophagus with fibrous tissue
• E)Squamous cells with eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions

---

Definitions:

Psychosexual Conflicts

Inner tensions and struggles arising from the sexual drives of the id, as hypothesized by Freud, often occurring in childhood and influencing personality development.

Psychoanalytic Theory

A theory of personality and therapeutic technique that attributes our thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts, developed by Sigmund Freud.

Early Childhood Experiences

Denotes events, interactions, and learning opportunities that occur during the early years of life, significantly impacting a child's development.

Epigenetic

Relating to the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.