Handlebar hernia: traumatic abdominal wall hernia with multiple enterotomies. A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Handlebar hernia, caused by low-energy impact against a handlebar, is a localized abdominal wall hernia that is blunt enough not to penetrate the skin but severe enough to cause the disruption of abdominal wall musculature. In 1964, Roberts (Br J Surg 1964;51:153) reported the first case of a traumatic abdominal wall hernia that occurred in a 9-year-old boy after a fall upon a bicycle handle. Since then, 12 other cases have been reported. To the best of our knowledge, the case described here is the first documented case of an incarcerated handlebar hernia associated with a small bowel perforation and mesenteric disruption.