Question

Alicia Meritt, a 22-year-old woman with complaints of fatigue and persistent diarrhea, is suspected of having Crohn disease and is scheduled to have a colonoscopy. Which finding would Alicia's nurse expect to see from the colonoscopy if Alicia has Crohn disease?

1) Inflammation that begins at the crypts of Lieberkühn in the distal large intestine and rectum
2) Continuous inflammatory lesions of bowel
3) Red, edematous, and friable tissue
4) Cobblestone appearance of bowel

Answer 1

The nurse would expect to see a cobblestone appearance of the bowel in Alicia Meritt's colonoscopy if she has Crohn's disease, as it is a hallmark characteristic of this inflammatory bowel disease.

Step-by-step explanation:

If Alicia Meritt, a 22-year-old woman suspected of having Crohn's disease, undergoes a colonoscopy, the nurse may expect to see a characteristic finding associated with this condition: a cobblestone appearance of the bowel. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract but often targets the ileum. The cobblestone appearance is due to the presence of fissures and crevices that develop between swollen mucosal areas, producing a pattern reminiscent of cobblestones. The areas of inflamed tissue can be separated by patches of normal lining, creating a discontinuous pattern that is distinct from other inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, which typically presents with more continuous lesions.