Hairy Situation in Ecuador: Woman’s Giant Abdominal Hairball Successfully RemovedHairy Situation in Ecuador: Woman’s Giant Abdominal Hairball Successfully Removed A 24-year-old woman in Ecuador recently underwent a life-saving surgery to remove a massive hairball from her abdomen. The hair had been growing for two years and had reached an alarming size, causing severe health complications. Upon examination, doctors at Verdi Cevallos Balda General Hospital discovered that the hairball had become lodged in the woman’s stomach, causing severe pain, vomiting, and difficulty eating. The mass was so large that it could be felt from the outside of her abdomen. After 45 minutes of surgery, surgeons successfully removed the hairball, which weighed 2 pounds and measured an astonishing 16 inches in length. The hair had grown so extensively that it had begun to block the woman’s intestines. According to chief surgeon Pedro Lovato, the woman was diagnosed with a psycho-emotional disorder that may have contributed to her condition. Hairy bezoars, such as this one, are known to occur in individuals with trichophagia, an eating disorder involving hair consumption. The surgery not only saved the woman’s life but also prevented further damage to her stomach. After her successful recovery, she has been discharged from the hospital and is receiving ongoing support. This case serves as a reminder of the potential severity of eating disorders and the importance of seeking professional help if experiencing symptoms of trichophagia or other compulsive behaviors.
Surgeons in Ecuador were able to save a 24-year-old woman from a particularly hairy situation. In 45 minutes, they successfully removed a gigantic mass of hair from the woman’s abdomen. The hairball had grown so large over time that it could be felt from the outside.
The chilling story was detailed by doctors at Verdi Cevallos Balda General Hospital. According to their report, the hair had been lodged in the woman’s stomach for the past two years. It caused severe stomach pain, frequent vomiting and increasing difficulty in taking in food and liquids. By the time she was seen by doctors at Verdi Cevallos, she had experienced significant weight loss from not eating.
The hairy bezoar that was removed from the woman’s stomach. ©Verdi Cevallos Balda General Hospital
The mass doctors removed from her stomach was 16 inches long and weighed 2 pounds. The hair had grown so large that it began to wedge itself into the woman’s intestines. Technically, it’s known as a bezoar, a medical term for any mass of foreign material that becomes lodged in the body. Bezoars usually occur in the digestive tract and are often made up of swallowed hair or fibers.
“It was a mass that occupied the entire stomach cavity and could be identified even by external touch,” chief surgeon Pedro Lovato said in a rack from the hospital (translated using Google).
The report does not address why the woman swallowed so much hair. But Lovato said the woman was diagnosed with a “psycho-emotional” disorder. Hairy bezoars are a known complication of trichophagiaa form of eating disorder in which people feel compelled to swallow their hair. This particular complication is also nicknamed Rapuznel syndromea reference to the long-haired fairy tale character. Trichophagia is often accompanied by trichotillomania, or the compulsion to pull out one’s own hair.
According to doctors, the surgery not only saved the woman from life-threatening starvation, but was also performed in time to prevent serious injuries to her stomach. The woman has been discharged from hospital and is reportedly receiving extensive aftercare.
