Laparoscopic removal of a large gastric bezoar in a mentally retarded patient with pica

Whereas small gastric bezoars may be removed endoscopically, large bezoars traditionally are removed at laparotomy. We describe a 33-year-old mentally retarded woman with pica syndrome who had experienced episodes of upper abdominal pain and distension of 10 months duration. Gastroscopy showed a large bezoar in the stomach, and attempted endoscopic removal was unsuccessful. The patient underwent laparoscopic extraction of the bezoar, which proved to be an ingested glove. She made an uneventful recovery and was discharged home on postoperative day 1. She had no wound complications, and her symptoms had not recurred at a 3-month follow up assessment. The operative technique is described, and the merits of the laparoscopic approach are discussed.