Hair thread tourniquet syndrome in an eight month old infant
Hair thread tourniquet syndrome in an eight month old infant
Circulating hairs or threads may cause hair-thread tourniquet syndrome in babies and mentally retarded individuals. Although it ismostly seen in the fingers and toes, it can be seen in the penis, clitoris, and labium and uvula. It may result in loss of the limb if it’s notrecognized early and is not treated correctly. In this study, the case of the second toe of the left foot was presented. Eight month oldboy presented with complaints of restlessness and crying for 2 days. Physical examination revealed a constrictive band surroundingthe proximal phalanx second toe of the left foot. There was no evidence of child abuse from the family history. It is recommendedto make a longitudinal deep incision where there is coiling of the finger. Wrapped hair thread were removed and treated with a smalland deep incision dorsally under local anesthesia as described by Serrour. Amoxicillin clavulanic acid was given orally as antibiotic.The wound was healed without any problem by dressing with antibiotic creams for 10 days. In conclusion, it is important to keepthis syndrome in mind in patients presenting with the mentioned complaints, in terms of diagnosis and recovery of limb with earlytreatment.
___
- 1. Barton DJ, Sloan GM, Nichter LS et al. Hair-thread tourniquet syndrome. Pediatrics 1988;82:925-8.
- 2. Alpert JJ, Filler R, Glaser HH. Strangulation of an appendage by hair wrapping. N Engl J Med 1965;273:866-7.
- 3. Curran JP. Digital strangulation by hair wrapping. J Pediatr 1966;69:137-8.
- 4. Quinn NJ. Toe tourniquet syndrome. Pediatrics 1971;48:145-6.
- 5. Mhiri MN, Midassi H, Mezghanni M et al. Strangulation of glans penis by hair or “penis tourniquet syndrome”. Pediatrie 1987;42:351-3.
- 6. Kuo JH, Smith LM, Berkowitz CD. A hair tourniquet resulting in strangulation and amputation of the clitoris. Obstet Gynecol 2002;99:939-41.
- 7. Uygur E, Çarkçi E, Ünkar E. Can washing socks without flipping inside out cause hair tourniquet syndrome? A claim with two case reports. J Pediatr Orthop B 2017;26:193-4.
- 8. Serour F, Gorenstein A. Treatment of the toe tourniquet syndrome in infants. Pediatr Surg Int 2003;19:598-600.