A rare cause of abdominal mass: Trichobezoar

Abstract

Bezoar is a mass that cannot be digested and that is collected in the gastrointestinal system. Being the exact frequency still unknown; it is rare among children. Trichobezoar is especially encountered in young adolescent girls who have psychiatric/neurologic problems. In this report; a ffteen year old girl who has stomachache and vomiting is presented. A mass without pain on palpation was diagnosed as trichobezoar by performing an endoscopy. A mass which weighed 1.5 kilograms and which took the shape of the stomach was removed out of her stomach by laparatomy. On her psychiatric examination; she was diagnosed with mild mental retardation and obsessive compulsive disorder. Trichobezoar should be considered when adolescent girls with psychiatric problems come with gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomachache and vomiting. © The Journal of Current Pediatrics, published by Galenos Publishing.