Bezoares gastrointestinales: mitos y realidades

Abstract

Gastrointestinal bezoars are a concretion of indigested material that can be found in the gastrointestinal tract of humans and some animals. This material forms an intraluminal mass, more commonly located in the stomach. During a large period of history animal bezoars were considered antidotes to poisons and diseases. We report a historical overview since bezoars stones were thought to have medicinal properties. This magic conception was introduced in South America by Spanish conquerors. In Chile, bezoars are commonly found in a camelid named guanaco (Lama guanicoe). People at Central Chile and the Patagonia believed that bezoar stones had magical properties and they were traded at very high prices. In Santiago, during the eighteenth century the Jesuit apothecary sold preparations of bezoar stones. The human bezoars may be formed by non-digestible material like cellulose (phytobezoar), hair (trichobezoar), conglomerations of medications or his vehicles (pharmacobezoar or medication bezoar), milk and mucus component (lactobezoar) or other varieties of substances. This condition may be asymptomatic or can produce abdominal pain, ulceration, gastrointestinal bleeding, gastric outlet obstruction, perforation and mechanical intestinal obstruction. We report their classification, diagnostic modalities and treatment.

Harry Potter's Occlusion: Report of a Case of Pumpkin Seed Bezoar Rectal Impact

“…Seed bezoar occurs most frequently in the rectum both in children and adults, and symptoms are mainly constipation followed by abdominal pain and rectal burning. A true intestinal obstruction is rare, and perforation is reported only in one case ( 18 , 19 ). Fiber bezoar, due to its location in the stomach, causes specific symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal bloating.…”

Stomach Bezoaris, Causes of Development, Diagnosis and Methods of Treatment

“…There are several types of bezoarіs. Phytobezoаr is the most common type of bezoar, which occurs in about 75 % of all types of bezoar, and is formed as a result of the use of a large number of bezorogenic products of plant origin, including grapes, persimmon (diospirobesoar), dates, figs, dogwood, cherries and sweet cherries, corn, pineapple [1,2,3]. Such types are also distinguished: lactobesoir -accumulation of lactose and casein (is common for children) [4]; pharmacobezoir -caused by the use of tableted drugs [5], which include: aluminum hydrochloride gel, intestinal aspirin, sucralfate, cholestyramine, nifedipine [6,7]; Sebobezoar -is formed by refractory animal fats in the form of fatty conglomerates, shellacobezoar (or pixo-or desmobezoar) -resins and bitumen [1,8]; trichobezoar -the aggregation of hair between the folds of the stomach [9,10], which occurs more often in women up to 30 years [11], is associated with mental illness and bad habits: trichotomomania (tearing hair) and trichophagia (swallowing hair), it can "tail" spread to the intestine (Rapunzel syndrome) [12]; polybezoar -mixed genesis [1,8].…”

Tricobezoar gástrico gigante: reporte de un caso clínico-patológico

“…La raíz griega es trico (pelo) y la raíz árabe, bazáhr (antídoto), ya que antiguamente los bezóares se usaban para contrarrestar los efectos de diversos tipos de veneno. 2 El pelo está hecho de queratina dura. 3 La queratina es una proteína que no puede ser digerida por el jugo gástrico del humano 1,4 y de algunos animales tampoco, como los gatos, 5 cabras ,6 entre otros 2 en quienes no es raro observar que vomitan bolas de pelos.…”

“…2 El pelo está hecho de queratina dura. 3 La queratina es una proteína que no puede ser digerida por el jugo gástrico del humano 1,4 y de algunos animales tampoco, como los gatos, 5 cabras ,6 entre otros 2 en quienes no es raro observar que vomitan bolas de pelos. A la masa de pelos retenida en el estómago se denomina tricobezoar.…”