Trichobezoar, a Cause of Nonspecific Acute Abdominal Pain: Four Case Reports and Bibliographic Review

Background: A bezoar is defined as a foreign body resulting from the accumulation of ingested material or food in the stomach. However, they can also be found in the duodenum and other segments of the intestine. The average age of occurrence is 11 years, predominantly affecting females. Among its complications, gastric outlet obstruction is the most frequent, though secondary gastric perforation is extremely rare.Material and Methods: Four clinical cases are presented from a third-level care facility in Mexico City over the period 2022-2024, all resolved surgically.Results: Four clinical cases involved females aged between 11 and 14 years. All cases presented with generalized abdominal pain, an epigastric mass, nausea, and vomiting. In one case, a gastric perforation occurred. Postsurgical complications included superficial surgical site infections in two cases, an average of 5 days of nil per oral (NPO), and an average hospital stay of 9.2 days. All patients were referred to the pediatric psychiatry service for follow-up after discharge.Conclusion: Trichobezoar is a rare pathology with a marked incidence in our population, having multiple cases within such a short period. This situation provides a new path to establish an epidemiological basis in our Mexican population and to explore the link between these clinical cases, offering insights into their causes, symptoms, and treatment options.