Hairball as heavy as a football removed from 10-yr-old girl's stomach in Maharashtra

Nearly half a kilogram of hairball was surgically removed from the stomach of a 10-year-old girl in Amravati, Maharashtra, doctors said on Tuesday. The girl had been experiencing digestion-related issues for several months before the condition was diagnosed and treated, a PTI report stated.

Dr Usha Gajbhiye, a paediatric surgeon at a private hospital in Amravati, said the child was brought in 20 days ago with complaints of vomiting, loss of appetite, and weight loss that had lasted for nearly five to six months.

"After her medical examination and counselling, the girl told me that she used to eat hair," said Dr Gajbhiye.

Medical scan revealed hairball in stomach

Following the child’s admission and diagnosis, doctors found that a mass of hair had formed into a ball inside her stomach.

"We decided to operate upon her, and during the surgery conducted a few days back, about half a kilogram of hairball was found in her stomach," Dr Gajbhiye said.

Girl recovering well after surgery

Doctors confirmed that the surgery was successful and the hairball was removed without complications.

"The girl is now able to eat properly and she has no other problem," said Dr Gajbhiye. She added that the patient will be discharged soon.