Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Appendicitis caused by a hairball of cat hair in a 15-year-old boy
By Redden, Mark & Ghadiri, Marjan·Published in Journal of Surgical Case Reports·2022·General Surgery, Redcliffe Hospital, Redcliffe, Australia, Australia·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: Acute appendicitis with associated trichobezoar of feline hair
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 15-year-old male cat was brought to the vet with a day of abdominal pain and was diagnosed with appendicitis. A CT scan showed signs of appendicitis and some unusual masses in the appendix. During surgery, the vet found that the appendix had burst and was blocked by a hairball made of the cat's own fur. After the surgery, the cat recovered well and went back to normal.
People also search for: cat abdominal pain · cat appendicitis symptoms · cat hairball treatment · why is my cat vomiting hair · cat surgery recovery time
Abstract
Abstract A trichobezoar is an accumulation of ingested hair that forms a mass within the gastro-intestinal tract. Thrichobezoars usually consist of human hair and are known to cause obstruction and even perforation of gastrointestinal organs. There have been approximately seven reported cases of acute appendicitis with association trichobezoars found at the time of appendicectomy. We report a unique case of acute appendicitis with an associated trichobezoar of feline hair. A 15-year-old male presented with a 24-hour history of abdominal pain. A computed tomography scan demonstrated features of appendicitis with several hyperdensities within the base of the appendix. At the time of appendicectomy, the appendix was found to be perforated at the base. Faecoliths were identified containing numerous short, light-coloured hairs. Following the procedure, the family confirmed that they have a pet cat with short, light-coloured hair. The patient had an uneventful recovery.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1093/jscr/rjac133