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. 2006 Feb;98(2):280–283.

An unexpected finding in an eight-year-old child with cerebral palsy and weight loss.

Bradley J Smith 1, Steven J Bachrach 1
PMCID: PMC2595032  PMID: 16708517

Abstract

Poor weight gain is frequently seen in children with cerebral palsy. This is most commonly due to poor oral-motor coordination, resulting in inadequate caloric intake. We present the case of an eight-year-old girl with Aicardi syndrome who had been an exclusively oral feeder and who was noted to have had a 10-lb weight loss over the previous months when she was admitted to the hospital with seizures. Due to ongoing diminished oral intake, a barium swallow was performed, which revealed a filling defect. The mass that was removed at surgery proved to be a lactobezoar, a very uncommon finding in a child of this age.

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Selected References

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