Original MICA image-reading exercise, unscored. No clinical narrative absent from the source is added.
- Describe visible findings before proposing an interpretation.
- Suggest an interpretation and at least one image limitation.
- Which clinical findings or investigations would complement this observation?
Reveal the explained reading
Duodenal villous atrophy · histology
- Villi
- Reduced height
- Crypts
- Possible hyperplasia
- Epithelium
- Assess lymphocytes
- Aetiology
- Serology and context
Morphological description
Describe partial or marked atrophy, crypt hyperplasia and increased lymphocytes; poor orientation can mislead.
Causes and diagnostic direction
Coeliac disease is a major cause, but medicines, infections and other enteropathies can produce atrophy.
Differential diagnoses
Atrophy is not specific; serology, immune status and exposures help distinguish enteropathies.
Pitfalls and limitations
A gluten-free diet may alter serology and histology; interpretation therefore depends on dietary context.
Take-home message
Describe all three components and technical quality, then confirm the cause with clinical and serological evidence.
Sources
- European Society for the Study of Coeliac Disease (ESsCD) guideline for coeliac disease and other gluten-related disorders - PMC ↗
- Diagnosis and monitoring of celiac disease: changing utility of serology and histologic measures - American Gastroenterological Association ↗
Documentary review: 2026-10-15
Media source & rights
- Author
- Nephron
- Original source
- Nephron — File : Celiac disease - high mag.jpg — CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACeliac_disease_-_high_mag.jpg
- Licence
- CC BY-SA 3.0
- Changes
- Full original field and annotations retained; WebP conversion, EXIF/GPS metadata removed, proportional derivatives without upscaling, cropping or medical retouching. Derivatives shared under the same CC BY-SA 3.0 licence.
- Dimensions
- 4272 × 2848 px
- Check
- 2026-10-15