DUODENAL TRICHOBEZOAR: AN EXCEPTIONAL LOCATION

Trichobezoar is a rare condition characterized by the presence of a foreign body in the digestive tract, mainly the stomach, composed of hair or textile fibers. It primarily occurs in young women with specific psychological profiles, marked by a tendency to pull out their hair (trichotillomania) and eat it (trichophagia). The symptoms are varied, but the diagnosis is usually straightforward, guided by the patients background and supported by tomography and endoscopy. Treatment can be endoscopic, but if this approach is not possible or fails, surgery remains the last resort, without neglecting psychological support. We report the case of a 19-year-old patient with trichobezoar, suspected based on epigastric pain associated with late postprandial vomiting and an abdominal mass found on clinical examination. Diagnosis was confirmed by abdominal CT scan, and treatment was performed through surgery after a duodenotomy following the failure of an endoscopic extraction attempt.In addition to the rarity of the condition, our observation is the first, to our knowledge, to report a case of an isolated trichobezoar in the duodenum.