[Spigelian hernias. The authors' own experience and a review of the literature]

Abstract

There are presented nine patients with spigelian hernia operated on between 1964 and 1996 (33 years interval). These patients represent 0.19% of the totality of the patients operated for different hernias in the same period. The sex ratio female/male was 7/2. The medium age of the patients was 55 years old +/- 12-18, the extremes being 37 and 67 years. To all the patients the hernia was located on the right side of the abdomen. The main associated disease, the degree III and IV obesity was present in 8 from 9 cases. In 3 cases (33%) the evolution was complicated by incarceration of the big epiploon and to one patient (11%) by partial strangulation of a jejunum ansae, Richter's type. Two patients with very large, nonreducible hernias created possibilities of confusions with abdominal tumors. Generally, the diagnosis was established only on clinical basis. All the patients were operated on (the Bachy techniques with direct approach) without immediate or late complications (there were no recurrences).