A rare case in the medical annals of Lviv: a 15-year-old girl from Zaporizhzhia, now residing in Lviv with her family, had a clump of hair weighing one kilogram removed from her stomach. This large hairball, professionally known as a trichobezoar, was 40 centimeters in length.
Since childhood, the girl had a problem with swallowing hair. Initially, at the age of seven, she underwent surgery in Zaporizhzhia for a similar diagnosis. Over the last two years, she suffered from stomach pain, vomiting, and other eating difficulties, initially treated as gastritis with no improvement in her condition. Only after seeking medical attention in Lviv was the trichobezoar identified as the cause of her suffering.
Dr. Mykola Mykyta and other specialists at the Center for Emergency and Minimally Invasive Surgery managed to resolve this extraordinary task via an open surgery. After the complex operation, the girl is feeling well and is undergoing rehabilitation with a psychologist to prevent a recurrence of the situation. Ihor Hulavsky emphasized the importance of continued management and consultations with a psychologist.
The so-called “Rapunzel syndrome” is more common among teenage girls with long hair who have a habit of chewing it. Such neurotic habits require close parental attention and timely professional medical help.
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