Psychiatric patient was eating a lot of hair (trichobezoar, gastric perforation). [Gastrointestinal] [CT]

This patient with a long psychiatric history was found to be eating a lot of hair and eventually starting vomiting.

CT shows a large mass completely distending the stomach consistent with a giant hairball based on the given history.

CT in the lung/air window shows a few tiny foci of air outside of the stomach (arrows), not where there should be any air at all. This is consistent with a small perforation of the stomach.

See here for another case of bezoar causing stomach obstruction.

4 points · 2 comments · view on lemmy.world

2 Comments

allotrope@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 3y

Dang, I'd never considered this aspect of hair and bowel obstructions before.

Spectator@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y

You learn how all kinds of things, from the relatively mundane + bad luck to the weird and wacky, can cause serious health issues in radiology.