Publication:

A case of incarcerated spigelian hernia causing small bowel obstruction

Spigelian hernias are rare anterior abdominal wall hernias in which the defect occur at the semilunar line lateral to rectus abdominis muscle. It mostly occurs in the lower half as posterior sheath is deficient in that region. Spigelian hernias are rare and moreover it is difficult to diagnose clinically. It constitutes about 0.12% of abdominal wall hernias. Even though it is rare, it is more prone for complications. It affects both sexes and sides equally. It is a diagnostic difficulty especially in obese patients as in our case where physical examination will often be inconclusive. Majority of the spigelian hernias are diagnosed intra operatively. Here in this case report, we present a case of obese 48 years old female who presented with abdominal pain and signs of intestinal obstruction which was found out to be an incarcerated spigelian hernia. Recently laparoscopic repair has been found to be safe and effective.