title: A hair tourniquet resulting in strangulation and amputation of the clitoris.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, Torrance, California, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Lynne M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Carol D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Berkowitz
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000673:Amputation, Traumatic; D002987:Clitoris / Q000293:injuries* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009336:Necrosis