Rapunzel’s giant hairball: a report of Rapunzel syndrome in a young man

Authors

  • Kheira Gabsi Department of Surgery, Campbelltown Hospital, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia
  • Ernest Cheng Department of Surgery, Campbelltown Hospital, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia; St George and Sutherland Hospital Clinical School, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia
  • Yenni Yu Department of Surgery, Campbelltown Hospital, Campbelltown, NSW, Australia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-2902.isj20242132

Keywords:

Trichobezoar, Laparotomy, rapunzel syndrome, Trichophagia

Abstract

Rapunzel syndrome, a rare form of trichobezoar, is a condition in which an accumulation of hair forms in the stomach and extends to the small intestine. Here we describe a case of a 17-year-old male presenting with gastric outlet obstruction secondary to Rapunzel syndrome, requiring laparotomy and gastrotomy.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

Gorter RR, Kneepkens CMF, Mattens ECJL, Aronson DC, Heij HA. Management of trichobezoar: case report and literature review. Pediatr Surg Int. 2010;26(5):457-63.

Delimpaltadaki DG, Gkionis IG, Flamourakis ME, Strehle AF, Bachlitzanakis EN, Giakoumakis MI, et al. A rare giant gastric trichobezoar in a young female patient: Case report and review of the literature. Clinical Case Reports. 2021;9(12):5152.

Vaughan ED, Sawyers JL, Scott HW. The Rapunzel syndrome. An unusual complication of intestinal bezoar. Surgery. 1968;63:339–43.

Janssen-Aguilar R, Rochel-Pérez A, Cuevas-Koh OJ, Santos-Zaldivar KD, Rodríguez-Cuevas M, de Jesús Inurreta-Díaz M, et al. Systematic review of Rapunzel Syndrome. Revista Biomédica. 2020;31(1):38-57.

Phillips MR, Zaheer S, Drugas GT. Gastric trichobezoar: case report and literature review. Mayo Clin Proc. 1998;73(7):653-6.

Irving PM, Kadirkamanathan SS, Priston AV, Blanshard C. Education and imaging. Gastrointestinal: Rapunzel syndrome. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007;22(12):2361.

Snorrason I, Ricketts EJ, Stein AT, Thamrin H, Lee SJ, Goldberg H, et al. Sex differences in age at onset and presentation of trichotillomania and trichobezoar: a 120-year systematic review of cases. Child Psychiatr Human Develop. 2022;1:1-7.

Moolamannil MC, Ahmed H, Devecseri G, Malam Y, Wilde M, Chattopadhyay D. Two cases of Rapunzel syndrome in adult males. J Surg Case Reports. 2023;(10):571.

Iwamuro M, Okada H, Matsueda K. Review of the diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal bezoars. World J Gastrointest Endosc. 2015;7(4):336-45.

Nettikadan A, Ravi M, Shivaprasad M. Recurrent Rapunzel syndrome–A rare tale of a hairy tail. Int J Surg Case Rep. 2018;45:83-6.

Gonuguntla V, Joshi DD. Rapunzel syndrome: a comprehensive review of an unusual case of trichobezoar. Clin Med Res. 2009;7(3):99-102.

Kang SK, Kim SH, Cho YH. Successful Laparoscopic Removal of a Huge Trichobeozar in Cases of Rapunzel Syndrome in Children. J Acute Care Surg. 2021;11(1):39-42.

Downloads

Published

2024-07-29

How to Cite

Gabsi, K., Cheng, E., & Yu, Y. (2024). Rapunzel’s giant hairball: a report of Rapunzel syndrome in a young man. International Surgery Journal, 11(8), 1355–1357. https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-2902.isj20242132

Issue

Section

Case Reports