Tricobezoar as a cause of high mechanical intestinal obstruction: a case report

Abstract

Bezoars are characterized as the accumulation of non-digestible materials, forming a solid mass, in some portion of the gastrointestinal tract. Among the most common types, trichobezoar stands out, whose primary consistency is hair. Bezoars formed by hair have a strong psychiatric component since their genesis depends on trichophagia on the part of the individual. Although uncommon, the pathology in question is important because it can lead to serious consequences, such as high mechanical intestinal obstruction, the most frequent complication of trichobezoars. This work reports the case of a patient who presented with total gastric and duodenal obstruction due to a trichobezoar. Given the situation, after anamnesis (with characteristic symptoms), laboratory and imaging tests suggestive of such pathology, an urgent laparotomy was performed with the aim of unblocking the intestinal transit compromised by the condition in question. Thus, it is concluded that trichobezoars, regardless of their low incidence, should always be remembered in the differential diagnoses of mechanical intestinal obstructions. An early diagnosis reduces the degree of invasiveness in the treatment of the pathology and also drastically reduces the morbidity and mortality of patients.