Trichobezoar

Case contributed by Laughlin Dawes
Diagnosis almost certain

Presentation

Chronic pain in epigastric region. Her mother gave a positive history of seeing hairs in her mouth during wake-up time. The behavior and mental scoring were normal.

Patient Data

Age: 15 years
Gender: Female

Note: This case has been tagged as "legacy" as it no longer meets image preparation and/or other case publication guidelines.

ct

CT shows a large mass of heterogeneous material in stomach which is probably a combination of hair and trapped food.

Case Discussion

Bezoars are known to cause small bowel obstruction and sometimes CT may demonstrate the bezoar as a mass in the obstructed segment of bowel. The bezoar may be outlined by fluid in the proximally dilated small bowel, and the mass may be mottled owing to air trapped within it. Types of bezoar:

  • trichobezoar is a bezoar formed from hair - this has also been called Rapunzel syndrome
  • phytobezoars are composed of non-digestible food material (e.g. cellulose) and are frequently reported in patients with impaired digestion and decreased gastric motility
  • pharmacobezoars (or medication bezoars) are mostly tablets or semi-liquid masses of drugs

Credit: Dr Abhijit Datir 

How to use cases

You can use Radiopaedia cases in a variety of ways to help you learn and teach.

Creating your own cases is easy.

Updating… Please wait.

 Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.

 Thank you for updating your details.