18 November,2010 08:14 AM IST | | Vinod Kumar Menon
Ball of hair surgically removed from 8-yr-old's stomach suffering from rare disorder
It was literally a case of a bad hair day for 8-year-old Mumtaz (name changed) who recently underwent a surgery to remove a ball of hair entangled in her stomach.
Mumtaz, a Std II student from Govandi was frequently spotted pulling her hair out and chewing them over a period of time. Her parents did not pay heed to this habit until she complained of an abdominal pain a few weeks ago. After failing to diagnose her ailment, local doctors sent her to Sion Hospital.
According to Dr Mohan Joshi, professor of surgery and surgical gastroenterology in-charge at the hospital, paediatric doctors referred Mumtaz to him after they found a lump on the left side of her abdomen. "Initially, we suspected a tumour growth. But we noticed a large area of hairless scalp on her head," Joshi said.
Subsequently, a CT scan carried out on Mumtaz revealed that she had a ball of hair in her stomach. She was apparently showing symptoms of Rapunzel syndrome (see box).
Explaining the condition, Joshi said, "Unlike other foreign objects that passes out of the body when consumed, the hair remains inside the stomach and causes pain. In Mumtaz's case, because of the large quantity of hair inside her stomach, she did not feel hungry most of the time."
"With less than 100 cases reported in literature till date, we reported this case diagnosed clinico-radiologically and treated surgically by removing an intact trichobezoar (hairball) extending from stomach till the ileum (final section of small intestine)," Joshi added.
A panel of three doctors including Joshi conducted the surgery, which lasted for over two hours to remove the hairball. Mumtaz was also referred to the psychiatry department in the hospital. During counselling, she confessed to having a habit of eating her hair. Mumtaz's mother Zhora expressed her gratitude.
Rapunzel Syndrome
An extremely rare intestinal condition resulting from eating hair, the syndrome is named after the long-haired fairy tale character Rapunzel. It is characterised by a hairball located in the stomach and subsequent obstruction in the intestines.
