Trichobezoars as a cause of intestinal obstruction in a young female

Abstract

A bezoar is a mass found trapped in the gastrointestinal system, though it can occur in other locations. There are various types of bezoars including food boluses, lactobezoar, pharmacobezoar, phytobezoar, diospyrobezoar and trichobezoar. They are common in children and adolescents, and 90% of the patients are women. Complications may manifest as gastric outlet obstruction or bleeding and intestinal obstruction. CT is the preferred image modality for the evaluation of suspected trichobezoars in order to characterize the size, location, presence and level of obstruction and complications such as ischemia or perforation. Here authors present a case to stress the importance of considering trichobezoars as one of the causes for intestinal obstruction in young females.