The cause of abdominal mass in a child with celiac disease: Rapunzel syndrome. A case report

ABSTRACT CONTEXT: Rapunzel syndrome is a rare form of gastric trichobezoar that develops through outstretching of the bezoar from the stomach to the intestine. CASE REPORT: A 12-year-old girl who had been diagnosed with celiac disease six years earlier was brought to the department of pediatric gastroenterology because of abdominal distension. A palpable mass was detected. A trichobezoar that stretched to the small intestine was removed surgically. The patient was diagnosed as having anxiety and depressive disorder, and treatment started. Following the treatment, her previous trichophagia completely disappeared. CONCLUSION: Presence of trichobezoar should be kept in mind, especially when young girls who have psychiatric problems suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms.

Paniculitis epiploica aislada en un niño con dolor abdominal: A propósito de un caso / Isolated omental panniculitis in a child with abdominal pain: Case report

La paniculitis epiploica aislada es una entidad rara, mayormente observada en los adultos. Se presenta con inflamación del tejido adiposo del epiplón. Los síntomas varían entre manifestaciones locales (por ejemplo, dolor a la palpación abdominal o una masa palpable) y sistémicas, que incluyen dolor abdominal, dolor de espalda, fiebre, descenso de peso y trastornos intestinales. Presentamos este caso como una primera acción de sensibilización respecto de un caso de paniculitis epiploica en un niño, afección que debe tenerse en cuenta en el diagnóstico diferencial del íleo a fin de evitar cirugías innecesarias.

Isolated omental panniculitis is a rare entity mostly seen in adults. It presents with the inflammation of the fatty tissue of the omentum. The symptoms may vary from local (e.g. abdominal tenderness or palpable mass) to systemic manifestations including abdominal pain, back pain, fever, weight loss and bowel disturbances. We presented this case as a first awareness of omental panniculitis in a child which must be kept in mind at the differential diagnosis of ileus so that unnecessary surgeries might be avoided.