Medics have been left shocked after a giant hairball was found trapped in a 17-year-old ‘Rapunzel’s’ stomach.
The teenager had been complaining of abdominal pain and had suffered from repeated vomiting.
She was also unable to swallow anything.
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According to her caregivers, she had a history of pica; an eating disorder in which a person craves and eats objects that are not considered as food.
As a result, the teen had ingested a lot of hair over the years; otherwise known as The Rapunzel syndrome, reports Need To Know.
After a physical examination, it was found that she had a distended and tender abdomen, with a large and firm mass of hair present.
While all her laboratory tests were fine, a CT scan confirmed that the giant hairball extended from her stomach into the duodenum.
Due to its size, an endoscopic removal wasn’t possible and so the teen underwent open surgery under general anaesthesia.
The large hairball was carefully extracted and remained intact.
And after three hours, all foreign material was cleared, with the patient stitched up.
Since then, no recurrence of pica behaviour has been displayed and the 17-year-old has been referred for psychiatric evaluation and behavioural therapy to prevent the issue happening again.
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Doctors removing the extended portion of the hairball from the teen’s intestine. (Picture: Jam Press)
The enormous intact hairball removed from the stomach. (Picture: Jam Press)
