A hairball weighing over 900 grams is taken from the stomatch of a 12-year-old girl in Quang Ngai Province.
According to the hospital, the patient was brought in by her family in a pale and weak condition, with a hardened abdomen and reduced appetite, on March 6. X-ray scans revealed gastrointestinal bleeding and a massive hairball inside her stomach.
Following immediate surgical intervention, doctors extracted an enormous hair mass occupying almost the entire stomach, weighing over 900 grams.
Post-surgery, the patient has been receiving intravenous nutrition and is now stable.
Dr Pham Xuan Duy at the hospital stated that the girl is likely suffering from Rapunzel syndrome, a rare psychological disorder associated with compulsive hair-eating.
"With such a large hairball, it is possible that she has been ingesting hair for an extended period without her family noticing," the doctor said.
Doctor Duy also advised close co-operation with medical professionals for post-operative monitoring, identifying the underlying cause, and seeking appropriate psychiatric treatment.
Hair-eating disorder is commonly observed in children and adolescents, particularly those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders, or trichotillomania.
