Rapunzel Syndrome Case: Doctors Successfully Remove 62-Centimetre Hairball From Woman's Stomach at AIIMS Jodhpur
Surgeons at AIIMS Jodhpur successfully removed a 62-cm hairball from a 20-year-old woman’s stomach. The rare condition, known as Rapunzel Syndrome, extended into her small intestine, causing severe pain and weight loss. The mass is linked to trichophagia (compulsive hair swallowing). The patient is currently stable and recovering well.
Surgeons at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur, have successfully extracted a massive 62-centimetre-long hairball from the stomach of a 20-year-old woman. The rare medical mass had grown so large that it extended from her stomach into the upper section of her small intestine, causing her severe weight loss and prolonged abdominal pain. Following the complex procedure, hospital officials confirmed that the patient is in stable condition and recovering rapidly.
Surgical Intervention and Patient Recovery
The intricate operation was led by Dr Mahendra Lodha, Additional Professor in the Department of General Surgery at AIIMS Jodhpur, alongside his specialised surgical team. The team successfully extracted the entire 62-centimetre-long gastric trichobezoar - the medical term for a solid accumulation of swallowed hair trapped in the digestive tract. Jodhpur: 8 Women Fall Ill After Caesarean Deliveries at Rajasthan Hospital, Probe Underway.
AIIMS Jodhpur Doctors Successfully Operate on Patient With Rare Rapunzel Syndrome
बाल निगलने की आदत से उत्पन्न दुर्लभ बीमारी #रैपुंजेल_सिंड्रोम के एक जटिल मामले में एम्स जोधपुर के चिकित्सकों ने 20 वर्षीय युवती के पेट से 62 सेंटीमीटर लंबा ट्राइकोबेज़ोअर (बालों का विशाल गुच्छा) सफलतापूर्वक निकाला।
यह उपलब्धि एम्स जोधपुर की उन्नत शल्य चिकित्सा एवं बहुविषयक… pic.twitter.com/g1wJr8m0SE
— AIIMS Jodhpur (@aiims_jodhpur) June 26, 2026
Before the surgery, the patient had suffered from chronic physical deterioration, including an ongoing loss of appetite and persistent gastric distress. Doctors noted that the successful intervention underscores the premier medical facility’s capability to handle advanced and highly unusual surgical emergencies.
Understanding Rapunzel Syndrome
Medical experts classify this specific presentation as "Rapunzel Syndrome", a highly unusual condition that occurs when a trichobezoar elongates past the stomach and hooks into the proximal jejunum, or the initial part of the small intestine. "Tricho-bezoar is a rare condition in which swallowed hair accumulates in the stomach and eventually forms a solid mass," Dr Lodha explained. "When this hair mass extends from the stomach into the small intestine, the condition is known as Rapunzel Syndrome." The condition remains extraordinarily uncommon, with only a few hundred total cases documented in global medical literature.
The Psychological Link
According to psychiatric and medical literature, the vast majority of Rapunzel Syndrome cases are fundamentally rooted in underlying psychological disorders. Chief among these is trichotillomania, a condition characterised by an uncontrollable urge to repeatedly pull out one's own hair. A subset of individuals with trichotillomania also develop trichophagia, an associated disorder where the individual compulsively chews or swallows the pulled hair. Data indicate that while trichotillomania affects roughly 1 to 2 per cent of the general population, the progression to actual hair ingestion is seen in only a small fraction of those individuals. Because human hair cannot be digested, it gradually collects and weaves together in the stomach over months or years, forming an impenetrable mass.
Severe Complications of Delayed Treatment
Surgical teams emphasised that early diagnosis is critical to preventing fatal outcomes. Left untreated, an expanding hair mass will inevitably block the digestive tract entirely.
Clinical Warning: Doctors warn that a neglected trichobezoar can trigger life-threatening developments, including severe malnutrition, gastric bleeding, internal ulcers, complete intestinal obstruction, and intestinal perforation—a fatal tearing of the digestive wall. Jodhpur Shocker: 5-Year-Old Girl Dies After Allegedly Falling From Toy Train, Coming Under Its Wheels in Rajasthan.
Medical professionals advise families not to dismiss chronic warning signs such as a palpable lump in the abdomen, unexplained weight loss, constant vomiting, or persistent stomach pain, as early psychiatric and medical intervention can avert the need for open surgery.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 26, 2026 10:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
