Docs remove 2kg ball of hair from 7-yr-old girl’s abdomen
Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com 20.03.2018
Vellore: A ball of hair weighing nearly 2kg was removed from the intestine and stomach of a seven-year-old girl, who was suffering from the rare ‘Rapunzel’ syndrome, by a team of doctors at the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital.
Rani (name changed), daughter of construction workers and native of Arcot, was admitted to the hospital on February 14 with complaints of chronic abdominal pain and vomiting for over six months. “The girl was referred to the GH by one of the doctors who treated her. We noticed a swollen mass in the upper abdomen portion. Her parents also informed us that the girl was not taking food properly. The vomiting aggravated over the last six months when the girl also complained of severe pain,” said paediatric surgeon Dr V Ravi Gopinath, who performed the surgery on March 6.
The girl’s mother had found locks of the girl’s hair missing. The doctor treating her suspected that it could be a case of trichobezoar (a mass found stuffed in the gastrointestinal tract), which was confirmed by tests later. “We found that a ball of hair masked the abdomen and the intestine. We have come to a conclusion that the girl was suffering from Rapunzel syndrome,” said the doctor, and added that only 45 to 50 cases of Rapunzel syndrome have been documented across the world.
“The condition was a fallout of depression,” said the doctor, adding that the girl she felt insecure. “We removed the ball of hair weighing between 1.5-2kg in a surgery that extended for close to 90 minutes. The girl recovered well and has started to take food,” said Dr Gopinath. The girl was discharged on Monday.
Shanmughasundaram.J@timesgroup.com 20.03.2018
Vellore: A ball of hair weighing nearly 2kg was removed from the intestine and stomach of a seven-year-old girl, who was suffering from the rare ‘Rapunzel’ syndrome, by a team of doctors at the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital.
Rani (name changed), daughter of construction workers and native of Arcot, was admitted to the hospital on February 14 with complaints of chronic abdominal pain and vomiting for over six months. “The girl was referred to the GH by one of the doctors who treated her. We noticed a swollen mass in the upper abdomen portion. Her parents also informed us that the girl was not taking food properly. The vomiting aggravated over the last six months when the girl also complained of severe pain,” said paediatric surgeon Dr V Ravi Gopinath, who performed the surgery on March 6.
The girl’s mother had found locks of the girl’s hair missing. The doctor treating her suspected that it could be a case of trichobezoar (a mass found stuffed in the gastrointestinal tract), which was confirmed by tests later. “We found that a ball of hair masked the abdomen and the intestine. We have come to a conclusion that the girl was suffering from Rapunzel syndrome,” said the doctor, and added that only 45 to 50 cases of Rapunzel syndrome have been documented across the world.
“The condition was a fallout of depression,” said the doctor, adding that the girl she felt insecure. “We removed the ball of hair weighing between 1.5-2kg in a surgery that extended for close to 90 minutes. The girl recovered well and has started to take food,” said Dr Gopinath. The girl was discharged on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment