Difficulty: Medium
Average Score: 73%
Simulated
Passage / Scenario
A nurse is caring for an infant who has inadequate motility of part of the intestine resulting in a mechanical obstruction.The nurse should identify this finding as a manifestation of which of the following disorders?
Correct answer
C
Rationale
The correct answer is C: Hirschsprung's disease. This disorder is characterized by the absence of ganglion cells in the distal colon, leading to functional obstruction. The finding mentioned in the question could be related to a child's difficulty passing stool, which is a common symptom of Hirschsprung's disease. Encopresis (A) refers to voluntary or involuntary fecal soiling in children with constipation, not a structural disorder like Hirschsprung's. Pyloric stenosis (B) is a narrowing of the opening from the stomach to the small intestine, causing projectile vomiting, not related to the colon. Enterocolitis (D) is inflammation of the colon and small intestine, not specific to Hirschsprung's disease.