CUTTACK: Doctors of Shanti Memorial Hospital here successfully treated a minor girl suffering from Rapunzel syndrome. Referred to as trichotillomania and trichophagia, the syndrome is the compulsion of young girls pulling out their own hair and swallowing or chewing it.
The 13-year-old patient came with symptoms of pain in the epigastric region for the last one month and intermittent vomiting after taking solid food. The CT scan showed a distended stomach that had a soft tissue mass with entrapped air foci and the endoscopy revealed a large mass occupying the whole stomach.
Post-diagnosis, the patient went through a laparoscopic gastrotomy and the ball of hair was removed. The patient has recovered completely.
CMD of the hospital Dr Sreejoy Patnaik said this is the first case of Rapunzel syndrome reported here. Since it is a rare and unique condition, such patients usually require psychiatric evaluation and treatment.