Stomach & Intestines

Question 11 - Single Best Answer

A one week old newborn infant is not able to go home because he has not had a bowel movement since birth. He also has features consistent with Down's syndrome. This is a chromosome abnormality (trisomy at chromosome 21) that includes a phenotype in which the child has slanted eyes, a space between the first and second toe, and a crease that spans the entire width of the palm of the hand. A biopsy specimen from his colon is shown. What is wrong with this picture?

D) There are no ganglia (Auerbach's and Meissner's plexi).

CORRECT!
CORRECT! This abnormality is known as Hirschsprung's disease. The neural crest cell migration does not occur properly, so these are not found.