Case Report
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Feb 21, 2008; 14(7): 1141-1143
Published online Feb 21, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.1141
Rapunzel syndrome: The unsuspected culprit
Mohammad Ezzedien Rabie, Abdul Rahman Arishi, Ashraf Khan, Hussein Ageely, Gaffar Abbas Seif El-Nasr, Mohammad Fagihi
Mohammad Ezzedien Rabie, Hussein Ageely, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
Abdul Rahman Arishi, Ashraf Khan, Gaffar Abbas Seif El-Nasr, Mohammad Fagihi, King Fahad Central Hospital, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence to: Mohammad Ezzedien Rabie, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, PO Box 114,
Saudi Arabia. ezzedien@hotmail.com
Telephone: +966-50-7753692
Fax: +966-73-223674
Received: September 27, 2007
Revised: December 3, 2007
Published online: February 21, 2008
Abstract

Trichobezoar is a rare intriguing disorder in which swallowed hairs accumulates in the stomach. Being indigestible and slippery, it could not be propulsed and becomes entrapped within the stomach. Large amounts can thus accumulate over the years forming a hair ball. Rapunzel syndrome is a variant where hair accumulation reaches the small gut and beyond in some cases. Although the syndrome has been known for many years, only 24 cases have been reported in the literature and the discovery of a new case is always surprising. In this report, we present two cases discovered within a period of three months. One of them was pregnant and had small bowel intussusception and perforation, a very rare combination. We hereby add two more cases to the literature. To our knowledge, this is the first report on two cases of Rapunzel syndrome, the diagnosis of which demands a high index of suspicion.

Keywords: Trichobezoar; Rapunzel syndrome; Intussusception