Rapunzel Syndrome with Intestinal Obstruction: A Rare Entity

Abstract An uncommon type of bezoar called a gastric trichobezoar is created when human hair, doll or animal hair, blankets, or carpets are swallowed. They typically appear in young women with trichotillomania and trichophagia who are emotionally unstable, despondent, or mentally challenged. They may result in bleeding, blockage, perforation, gastric ulcers, and abdominal pain. Here we present a case of 12-year-old female with Large Trichobezoar leading to Rapunzel Syndrome. The patient had trichotillomania and trichophagia for 7 years prior to presentation. Small bezoars should ideally be removed via a minimally invasive technique like endoscopic fragmentation. Nevertheless, despite the potential for severe scarring, open surgical extraction is the only way to treat enormous trichobezoars, such as those found in Rapunzel syndrome. We report a case of Rapunzel syndrome with a large bezoar that was surgically removed.