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Trichobezoar: Ravenous for Hair.
Akshay Prasad1, Atul Jain2, Akash Gupta2
1Department of Surgery, Subharti Medical College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Euroasian Journal of Hepato-Gastroenterology
|July 3, 2018
Summary
Trichophagia, the habit of chewing hair, can lead to trichobezoars, which are rare hair masses in the digestive tract. Early diagnosis and management are crucial for these potentially asymptomatic gastrointestinal obstructions.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Trichophagia is the compulsive ingestion of hair, often associated with psychiatric disorders.
- Trichobezoars, gastric concretions of ingested hair, develop in a small percentage of trichophagia patients.
Observation:
- A case of a trichobezoar is presented in an 11-year-old female.
- The patient presented with abdominal pain and signs of gastrointestinal obstruction.
Findings:
- Trichobezoars are typically asymptomatic until they achieve a significant size.
- Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGIE) remains the gold standard for diagnosing trichobezoars.
Implications:
- A high index of clinical suspicion is vital for prompt diagnosis and treatment of trichobezoars.
- This case highlights the importance of considering trichobezoar in pediatric patients with abdominal obstruction and a history suggestive of trichophagia.
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