system
Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
A 41-year-old male who takes NSAIDs regularly for his chronic back pain develops severe abdominal pain worse with eating. Upper endoscopy is performed and the medical student asks the supervising physician how the histological differentiation between a gastric ulcer and erosion is made. Which of the following layers of the gastric mucosa MUST be breached for a lesion to be considered an ulcer?
assistant
Epithelium, lamina propria, muscularis mucosa, and submucosa