Giant Gastric Trichobezoar In A Female Teenager

Trichobezoar is a rare pathology in which swallowed hairs accumulate in the stomach. Large amounts can thus accumulate over the years forming a hair ball. The usual presentatation is with early satiety and malnutrition. The diagnosis may be suspected in young females with abdominal pain, epigastric mass and malnutrition, who have a history of trichophagia. A small trichobezoar can be treated using non-surgical methods, but large bezoars usually require open surgery. In this report, we present one case of a successful laparotomy removal of a giant (500g) gastric trichobezoar in a 17-year-old girl with a 1-year history of trichotillophagia. Physical examination revealed diffuse abdominal pain and an epigastric mass. Psychodynamic aspects, clinical maifestations, diagnosis and therapautic strategies are discussed.