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Case Reports
. 2022 Mar 22:10:2050313X221081371.
doi: 10.1177/2050313X221081371. eCollection 2022.

Rare case of obturator hernia: Surgical anatomy, planning, and considerations

Adam Delgado  1 , Sidra B Bhuller  1 , Peter Phan  1 , John Weaver  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Rare case of obturator hernia: Surgical anatomy, planning, and considerations

Adam Delgado et al. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Obturator hernia is a rare variation of abdominal hernias that cause significant morbidity and mortality, especially in the elderly population. Incidence rates vary but account for approximately 0.07%-1.0% of all hernias. Literature on laparoscopic versus laparotomy, as well as types of closure (primary vs mesh) have not been well described in the literature. Obturator hernias, although rare, require a high index of suspicion and care in surgical management as many of these patients will be elderly with a multitude of comorbid conditions. Further research and reporting on technique and type of closures utilized when these rare hernias are encountered by surgeons would benefit the surgical community on practices and management of obturator hernias. Here, we present a case of an elderly female who presented with complaints of obstructive symptoms and abdominal pain secondary to an obturator hernia.

Keywords: Obturator’s hernia; laparotomy; mesh; minimally invasive surgery; obturator canal; small bowel obstruction.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Axial and coronal CT cuts showing the left obturator’s hernia (red arrows) causing small bowel obstruction demonstrated by the dilated loops of small bowel.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
“Hemipelvis and ligaments” by Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 1.0.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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