Spontaneous gastric perforation in a newborn: About a case

Spontaneous neonatal gastric perforation is rare. We report a case of a newborn from a pregnancy and birth with no complications, who presented on day 5 of life with sudden severe abdominal distension, and subsequently bilious vomiting. The radiography of the abdomen without preparation showed a massive pneumoperitoneum. The CT scan showed a pneumoperitoneum more accentuated at the supra-mesocolic level with a defect in the anterior wall of the stomach. The laparotomy found a perforation in the anterior gastric wall, which was sutured in one plane. The postoperative course was simple. The evolution of spontaneous gastric perforations in newborns is usually favorable. The key to avoiding complications is obviously to make a good diagnosis and perform the correct surgical treatment as soon as possible.

Rapunzel syndrome: An infrequent cause of paediatric mechanical occlusion

Despite numerous cases of trichobezoars reported in the literature, few Rapunzel syndromes have been described. Rapunzel syndrome is a rare case of bowel obstruction resulting from hair ingestion (trichobezoar). The obstruction can occur in any level of the intestinal tract. This syndrome is usually reported in patients affected by trichotillomania and trichophagia. We reported a case of Rapunzel syndrome in a 5-year-old girl diagnosed on an abdominal computed tomography scan and confirmed during surgery.