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Case Reports
. 2014 Nov 12:2014:bcr2014206574.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2014-206574.

'Little old lady's hernia' causing small bowel obstruction in a man: a case report with a review of literature on the pathophysiology of obturator hernias

Ola Blach  1 , Anil Ghosh  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

'Little old lady's hernia' causing small bowel obstruction in a man: a case report with a review of literature on the pathophysiology of obturator hernias

Ola Blach et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

Commonly known as 'little old lady's hernia', obturator hernias are usually seen in frail, octogenarian multiparous women reporting non-specific nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and anteromedial thigh pain. They are exceedingly rare; even less frequently are they diagnosed preoperatively, with the vast majority being found incidentally at laparotomy for small bowel obstruction. This case report describes an atypical presentation of a 'little old lady's hernia' in a man, in whom, thanks to high degree of clinical suspicion, an incarcerated obturator hernia was diagnosed preoperatively and treated successfully.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Loop of small bowel herniating through the left obturator foramen.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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