Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Rapunzel syndrome
Introduction
Rapunzel Syndrome (also known as Trichobezoar) is an extremely rare intestinal condition in humans resulting from the consumption of hair. It is named after the beautiful long-haired character Rapunzel in the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm.
Its characteristics include:
- The body of a trichobezoar (hairball) located in the stomach, and its tail in the small bowel and/or in the right colon
- Small or large bowel obstruction
- Occurring in psychiatric patients
- Trichotillomania
At least fourteen cases have been reported in the pediatric age group.
Treatment
Treatment
As the human gastrointestinal tract is unable to digest human hairs, the trichobezoar usually has to be treated surgically.
External links
External links
- Sattar Memon, Parkash Mandhan, Javed Qureshi, Asif Shairani: Recurrent Rapunzel syndrome – a case report
- S. T. Hirugade, M. C. Talpallikar, A. V. Deshpande, J. S. Gavali, S. S. Borwankar: Rapunzel syndrome with a long tail
- N. D. Duncan, R. Aitken, S. Venugopal, W. West, R. Carpenter: The Rapunzel syndrome. Report of a case and review of the literature