Rapunzel syndrome

Rapunzel syndrome is an extremely rare intestinal condition in humans resulting from ingesting hair (trichophagia).^[1][2] The syndrome is named after the long-haired girl Rapunzel in the fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. Trichophagia is sometimes associated with the hair-pulling disorder trichotillomania.^[3] This syndrome is a rare and unusual form of trichobezoar. Since 1968, there have been fewer than 40 documented cases in the literature.^[4] This syndrome occurs when the trichobezoar (hairball) reaches past the small intestine, and sometimes even into the colon producing a long tail-like extension of hair (NCBI, 2016).