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Case Reports
. 2019 Jun 21;12(6):e228660.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2018-228660.

Formation of a temporary gastrostomy to aid delivery of gastric trichobezoar and decrease incidence of wound infection

Ahmed AbdElhamid Darwish  1 , Abdelghany Em Abdelgawad  1 , Esther Platt  1 , Robin Garrett-Cox  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Formation of a temporary gastrostomy to aid delivery of gastric trichobezoar and decrease incidence of wound infection

Ahmed AbdElhamid Darwish et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Trichobezoars are relatively uncommon problems with a known female predominance. We report two female children with gastric bezoars. Main presenting symptoms were abdominal distension, weight loss and anaemia. Upper abdominal mass was palpable in both. Diagnosis was suspected on initial abdominal radiograph and ultrasound scan then confirmed by upper endoscopy. No bowel extension was recorded in either case. We report here a modification of the surgical technique in which the gastrostomy cut edges were anchored to the laparotomy skin. This modification aided easy and complete delivery of hair balls avoiding any spillage or wound contamination.

Keywords: bezoar; children.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy showed trichobezoar in the stomach.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Gastrostomy performed with suturing the edges of the stomach to the skin (temporary gastrostomy).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Delivery of the hair ball without contact with the edges of the wound.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Hair ball after removal.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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