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Rare Hairball Surgery: Girl Recovers After 1 Kg Removal
3 Oct
Summary
- A nine-year-old girl had a 1kg hair mass removed from her stomach.
- She was diagnosed with the extremely rare Rapunzel syndrome.
- Doctors successfully performed the complex surgery in Kerala.
A nine-year-old girl in Kerala has successfully undergone a rare surgery to remove a significant hair mass weighing about one kilogram from her stomach and small intestine. The patient was admitted with severe abdominal pain and vomiting, which led to the discovery of a critical intestinal blockage.
Medical examinations, including ultrasound, CT scans, and endoscopy, confirmed the presence of a large trichobezoar, commonly known as a hairball. This led to a diagnosis of Rapunzel syndrome, an extremely rare condition where the hair mass extends from the stomach into the small intestine, typically seen in adolescent girls with fewer than 100 reported cases worldwide.
The complex surgery was performed at NIMS Medicity near Neyyattinkara and was led by a team of specialists. The girl recovered well following the procedure and was discharged from the hospital. She is now eating normally, marking a successful outcome for this unusual medical case.
