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Review
. 2023 May 29;24(1):428.
doi: 10.1186/s12891-023-06536-1.

Monoradiculopathy-induced abdominal pseudohernia caused by T11-12 soft disc herniation: a case report and literature review

Wan-Jae Cho  1 , Ki-Won Kim  1 , Bo-Hyoung Kim  1 , Ji-Hyun Ryu  2
Affiliations
Review

Monoradiculopathy-induced abdominal pseudohernia caused by T11-12 soft disc herniation: a case report and literature review

Wan-Jae Cho et al. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. .

Abstract

Background: An abdominal pseudohernia is a rare clinical entity that consists of an abnormal bulging of the abdominal wall that can resemble a true hernia but does not have an associated underlying fascial or muscle defect. Abdominal pseudohernia is believed to result from denervation of the abdominal muscles in cases of herpes zoster infection, diabetes mellitus, lower thoracic or upper lumbar disc herniation, surgical injuries, and rib fracture. To date, nine cases of abdominal pseudohernia caused by disc herniation at the lower thoracic or upper lumbar levels have been reported.

Case presentation: A 35-year-old man with no underlying disease or traumatic event presented with chief complaints of left flank pain and a protruding left lower abdominal mass that had formed one day earlier. There was no true abdominal hernia on abdominal computed tomography (CT), although CT and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a herniated soft (non-calcified) disc into the left neural foramen at the T11-12 level. A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug was prescribed for the flank pain, and the patient was followed on a regular basis for six months. Follow-up MRI taken at the last visit showed complete resorption of the herniated disc. Abdominal pseudohernia and flank pain were also completely resolved.

Conclusion: We report a rare case of monoradiculopathy-induced abdominal pseudohernia caused by foraminal soft disc herniation at the T11-12 level. In patients who have an abdominal pseudohernia without herpes zoster infection, diabetes mellitus, or traumatic events, lower thoracic disc herniations should be included in differential diagnosis.

Keywords: Abdominal pseudohernia; Case report; Literature review; Thoracic disc herniation.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Pseudohernia on the patient’s left trunk (black arrow)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen. Axial CT scan showing no true abdominal hernia and no calcification of herniated disc
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine. (A) Sagittal T2-weighted MRI showing T11-12 disc herniation (white arrow). (B) Axial T2-weighted MRI T11-12 left foraminal disc herniation (white arrow)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine. (A) Sagittal T2-weighted MRI showing no abnormal finding. (B) Axial T2-weighted MRI T11-12 herniated disc complete resolusion
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Resolved pseudohernia on the patient’s left trunk
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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