Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr.  2013 Sep;16(3):190-194. 10.5223/pghn.2013.16.3.190.

Congenital Internal Hernia Presented with Life Threatening Extensive Small Bowel Strangulation

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea. moonmissing@gmail.com
  • 2Department of Surgery, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.
  • 3Department of Radiology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea.

Abstract

Internal hernia (IH) is a rare cause of small bowel obstruction occurs when there is protrusion of an internal organ into a retroperitoneal fossa or a foramen in the abdominal cavity. IH can be presented with acute or chronic abdominal symptom and discovered by accident in operation field. However, various kinds of imaging modalities often do not provide the assistance to diagnose IH preoperatively, but computed tomography (CT) scan has a high diagnostic accuracy. We report a case of congenital IH in a 6-year-old boy who experienced life threatening shock. CT scan showed large amount of ascites, bowel wall thickening with poor or absent enhancement of the strangulated bowel segment. Surgical exploration was performed immediately and had to undergo over two meters excision of strangulated small bowel. To prevent the delay in the diagnosis of IH, we should early use of the CT scan and take urgent operation.

Keyword

Intestinal obstruction; Hernia; Child

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Cavity
Ascites
Child
Hernia
Humans
Intestinal Obstruction
Shock

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