Rapunzel syndrome with a fatal outcome in a neglected child.
The "Rapunzel" syndrome (a trichobezoar with a long tail extending from the stomach to the small bowel) is an uncommon disease. It is related to severe complications but rarely associates to a fatal outcome. We report a case of a 5-year-old girl admitted at the emergency department in cardiorespiratory arrest whose autopsy disclosed an ileal perforation that is caused by a long bezoar extending from the stomach to the small bowel. The authors discuss a possible link between Rapunzel syndrome and child neglect.
Ventura
Denise Estefan
DE
Pediatric Surgery Division, Department of Surgery, Escola Paulista de Medicina, UNIFESP, São Paulo 04024-002, Brazil.
Herbella
Fernando A Mardiros
FA
Schettini
Sergio T
ST
Delmonte
Carlos
C
D001630:Bezoars / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007077:Ileal Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology*; D007421:Intestine, Small; D013270:Stomach; D013577:Syndrome