Bengaluru Doctors Remove Massive Hairball from 8-Year-Old's Stomach in Rare Surgery

In a highly unusual medical case, doctors in Bengaluru successfully removed a large hairball, the size of a cricket ball, from the stomach of an 8-year-old girl.

The girl, Aditi (name changed), was diagnosed with trichophagia, a rare psychological disorder characterised by the compulsive habit of eating hair, also known as Rapunzel syndrome.

For nearly two years, Aditi’s parents were perplexed by her recurring episodes of poor appetite and frequent vomiting. Despite numerous visits to paediatricians, general physicians, and ENT specialists, the underlying cause of her symptoms remained undiagnosed, with many doctors attributing her condition to gastritis.

However, a breakthrough came when doctors at Aster’s Children and Women Hospital in Bengaluru identified the root cause of her symptoms: a trichobezoar, a large mass of hair that had accumulated in her gastrointestinal tract.

This rare condition, especially in such a young child, was confirmed by Dr Manjiri Somashekhar, Lead and Senior Consultant in Paediatric Surgery at the hospital.

“Trichobezoar is an extremely rare condition, and finding it in a child as young as Aditi is even rarer. It is often linked to trichophagia, a psychological disorder where individuals eat hair. While more common in adolescent girls, this case highlights the uniqueness of Aditi’s situation,” Dr Somashekhar explained.

Due to the size and stickiness of the hairball, an open stomach surgery, known as laparotomy, was necessary. The hairball was too large and complicated to be removed via endoscopy.

The two-and-a-half-hour surgery was successful, and the medical team managed to prevent any leakage into the peritoneal cavity, which could have led to severe complications.

“If left undiagnosed, her condition could have resulted in severe malnutrition, anaemia, and significant bleeding from the stomach,” Dr Somashekhar added.

Post-surgery, Aditi was placed on a special diet and is receiving ongoing counselling and regular monitoring to ensure her recovery and prevent a recurrence of the condition.