Laparoscopic removal of massive pediatric gastric trichobezoars: A brief report.

BACKGROUND

Trichobezoars are foreign bodies in the gastrointestinal tract composed of ingested hair. These can develop into large, hard, obstructing objects that are often impossible to remove endoscopically. The size often leads surgeons to remove these via laparotomy or laparoscopic-assisted procedure (midline laparotomy for specimen removal), with few removed completely laparoscopically.

BRIEF REPORT: We present a case of a 5-year-old female with pica who had symptoms of foul-smelling diarrhea and weight loss and was found to have a massive gastric trichobezoar. The bezoar was removed laparoscopically with pfannensteil incision facilitating specimen extraction. Further, technical aspects of the procedure are discussed.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that there are benefits to using a laparoscopic approach to remove a massive gastric trichobezoar. This includes the use of a Pfannensteil incision rather than a midline laparotomy for specimen removal.