A hair tourniquet resulting in strangulation and amputation of the clitoris.
BACKGROUND
Hair tourniquet syndrome involves fibers of hair or thread wrapped around an appendage producing tissue necrosis. Appendages commonly involved include the toe, finger, and penis. We report a hair tourniquet resulting in amputation of the clitoris.


METHODS
An adolescent presented with a 4-year history of intermittent genital pain that increased in severity over the preceding 5 days. Physical examination revealed a necrotic clitoris surrounded by a black hair. During the examination, the tissue fell off resulting in immediate improvement in the patient's pain.


CONCLUSIONS
We report a case of a clitoral hair tourniquet syndrome leading to autoamputation of the clitoris. A high index of suspicion for this condition is important because of the potential consequences of delayed treatment.
Kuo
Jennifer H
JH
Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, Torrance, California, USA.
Smith
Lynne M
LM
Berkowitz
Carol D
CD
D000293:Adolescent; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic; D002987:Clitoris / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009336:Necrosis