A Modified Laparoscopic Technique for the Removal of Nonfragmentable Giant Gastric Trichobezoar

Abstract

Bezoars are usually defined as collections of nondigestible matter that most commonly accumulates in the stomach and can sometimes extend to the small bowel. Trichobezoars are a rare entity which is most commonly observed in young psychiatric females with trichotillomania and trichophagia. Here, we report a case of giant gastric trichobezoar and a novel technique of laparoscopic removal in a 16 year old female with trichophagia. The giant gastric trichobezoar weighing about half a kilogram was removed en masse laparoscopically by a novel technique. She had an uneventful postoperative recovery and was discharged after psychiatric counseling.