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| Definition: |
A ball of swallowed foreign material (usually hair or fiber) that collects in the stomach and fails to pass through the intestines.
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| Alternative Names: |
Trichobezoar; Hairball
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| Causes, incidence, and risk factors: |
| Chewing on or eating hair or fuzzy materials (or indigestible materials such as plastic bags) can lead to the formation of a bezoar. The incidence is very low and the risk is greater among mentally retarded or emotionally disturbed children. Generally bezoars are seen in females (approximately 90%) aged 10 to 19. |
| Signs and tests: |
| The child may have a lump in the abdomen (stomach) that can be felt by the health care provider. A barium swallow X-ray will show the mass in the stomach, sometimes a scope if used (endoscopy) to directly visualize the bezoar. |
| Treatment: |
| The bezoar may need to be surgically removed (especially trichobezoars which tend to be large). Sometimes small bezoars can be removed through a scope placed through the mouth and into the stomach (similar to an EGD procedure). Then, follow the prevention measures described. |
| Expectations (prognosis): |
| Full recovery is expected. |
| Calling your health care provider: |
| Call your health care provider if you suspect your child has a bezoar. |
| Prevention: |
If your child has had a bezoar in the past, trim the child's hair short so he or she cannot put the ends in the mouth. Keep indigestable materials away from a child that has a tendency to put items in the mouth.
Be sure to remove the child's access to fuzzy or fiber-filled materials. |
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Review Date: 12/10/2001
Reviewed By: Jonathan Fanaroff, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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