GI imaging: Schatzki ring: practice question

A Radiology question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Radiology · GI imaging: Schatzki ring

Sample item

A 50-year-old man has intermittent dysphagia to solid food, particularly with meat. A barium swallow with the patient prone shows a smooth, thin ring at the gastro-oesophageal junction above a hiatus hernia. What is it?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Schatzki ring (lower oesophageal B ring)

A Schatzki ring is a thin mucosal ring at the squamocolumnar junction that narrows the lumen to under 13 mm and causes intermittent solid food dysphagia, and a hiatus hernia is common. Dilatation is curative.

Option by option

  • A. Carcinoma

    Carcinoma shows an irregular shouldered stricture.

  • B. Plummer-Vinson web

    Plummer-Vinson webs are cervical and linked with iron deficiency.

  • C. Schatzki ring (lower oesophageal B ring) (correct)

    Correct. A thin smooth ring at the junction is a Schatzki ring.

  • D. Achalasia

    Achalasia shows aperistalsis and a bird beak.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More Radiology questions

Questions about this Radiology question

What is the answer to this Radiology question?

The best answer is C, Schatzki ring (lower oesophageal B ring). A Schatzki ring is a thin mucosal ring at the squamocolumnar junction that narrows the lumen to under 13 mm and causes intermittent solid food dysphagia, and a hiatus hernia is common.

Why is "Carcinoma" not the answer?

Carcinoma shows an irregular shouldered stricture.

Why is "Plummer-Vinson web" not the answer?

Plummer-Vinson webs are cervical and linked with iron deficiency.

Why is "Achalasia" not the answer?

Achalasia shows aperistalsis and a bird beak.

What concept does this question test?

It tests GI imaging: Schatzki ring in Radiology. Dilatation is curative.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study GI imaging: Schatzki ring?

Learn signs with the image, and the disease they point to. Then use the flashcards and the other Radiology questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.