An Unusual Cause of Obstruction of the Appendiceal Lumen: Tricholuminal Appendicitis in a Child

Introduction: Acute appendicitis (AA) is the most prevalent cause of acute abdomen. Luminal obstruction caused by faecoliths play a role in the pathophysiology of most cases of appendicitis. Many other materials can cause obstruction of the appendiceal lumen including swallowed foreign objects. However, most of the time they pass through the gastrointestinal tract spontaneously without causing any complication, and they very rarely obstruct appendiceal lumen leading to AA. Case Presentation: A 5-year-old girl was admitted to our hospital with complaint of right lower quadrant pain lasting for 12 hours. She was also complaining of subfebrile fever, anorexia, and nausea. On physical examination rebound tenderness on the right lower abdominal quadrant was felt, but any mass lesion could not be palpated. Abdominal ultrasonographic examination findings were consistent with the diagnosis of AA. Transumbilical single-port laparoscopic appendectomy (TUSPLA) was performed. Herein, a clinical case of AA due to solitary hair fibre in the lumen of appendix is reported. Conclusion: Timely diagnosis of tricholuminal appendicitis which can present itself with very diverse clinical manifestations especially during childhood has utmost importance in the prevention of potential complications.