Rapunzel syndrome: 1 kg hair mass removed from girl’s stomach, small intestine at hospital in Keralam
She was admitted with persistent abdominal pain and vomiting. Scans revealed severe intestinal obstruction, and a subsequent endoscopy confirmed a large mass of hair accumulated in stomach and small intestine
A nine-year-old girl from Keralam underwent a rare surgical procedure to remove a 1-kilogram mass of hair from her stomach and small intestine, according to hospital authorities. Diagnosed with Rapunzel syndrome, the girl was admitted to NIMS Medicity in Neyyattinkara following persistent abdominal pain and vomiting. Diagnostic imaging revealed a significant intestinal obstruction caused by a large hairball.
An endoscopy confirmed the accumulation of hair in the girl's digestive tract. Dr Biju I G Nair, a senior pediatric surgeon, led the complex surgery to extract the hairball. The young patient recovered well, returned to normal eating habits, and was discharged from the hospital. Trichobezoar, or hairballs, form when an individual repeatedly pulls out and swallows hair, which cannot be digested and accumulates in the stomach, potentially causing intestinal obstruction.
Rapunzel syndrome, an extremely rare condition, typically affects adolescent girls and has been documented in fewer than 100 cases globally.
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