What does the intestinal biopsy reveal in a patient with celiac disease?

In a patient with celiac disease, the intestinal biopsy typically reveals specific changes in the small intestine's mucosal lining, particularly the presence of villous atrophy, crypt hyperplasia, and increased intraepithelial lymphocytes. This results in a characteristic appearance that correlates with malabsorption due to the flattening of the villi, rather than areas of fatty plaques.

The correct answer identifies these changes as part of the typical biopsy findings associated with celiac disease. This condition is characterized by an immune-mediated response to gluten that leads to inflammation and damage to the intestinal mucosa, which can be visualized histologically through these trophic changes. In healthy individuals, the epithelial lining has normal villi, whereas, in celiac disease, you would expect alterations like the aforementioned absence of villi or significant alteration in the mucosal architecture.

Other options tend to describe conditions that are not characteristic of celiac disease, such as irregular areas of superficial ulcerations, which could be more suggestive of Crohn's disease, or degenerative fibrosis, which is not a typical finding in celiac disease. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify the nature of celiac disease pathology as it relates to intestinal biopsies.