Quito, Ecuador

In a shocking incident, doctors in Ecuador extracted a gigantic ball of hair from the stomach of a 24-year-old woman and relieved her from the pain she had been suffering for the past two years. 

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In an operation which went on for 45 minutes, the doctors were able to successfully take out the hairball from the stomach of the woman.

The size of the hairball was so big that one could feel it from the outside.

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How did the hairball enter the woman's stomach?

The doctors working at the Verdi Cevallos Balda General Hospital published a report detailing the unique medical case. 

As per the report, the hair was lodged in the stomach of the woman at least two years ago, because of which she suffered from frequent vomiting and intense stomach pain. The woman was also not able to ingest food and liquids quickly.

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By the time the woman reached out to the doctors at Verdi Cevallos, she had lost a significant amount of weight because she was unable to eat.

The doctors said that the mass of the hairball measured 16 inches long and weighed two pounds. They explained it became so large that it was now entering the intestines of the woman. 

In medical terms, it is called bezoar which is the term used for any mass of foreign material which gets trapped in the body. Generally, bezoars happen in the digestive tract and are usually formed from swallowed hair or fibre.

In the statement, lead surgeon Pedro Lovato said, “It was a mass that occupied the entire gastric cavity and could even be identified by touch from the outside."

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In the report, they did not mention why the woman swallowed hair in such a huge quantity. However, Lovato said that the doctors had diagnosed the woman with a “psychoemotional” ailment. 

Hairy bezoars - a type of complication of trichophagia - is a form of disordered eating in which humans unintentionally swallow hair.

The doctors said that the woman was saved from life-threatening starvation after the surgery which was very timely and prevented the stomach from sustaining any serious injuries. 

The hospital discharged the woman who is now getting comprehensive follow-up care.

(With inputs from agencies)