Abstract
A 53-year-old male fell down from a 3m high river bank, and struck his left abdomen against a fence. He noticed a fist-sized swelling at the site of the abdominal contusion immediately after the injury, and soon thereafter, felt a slight tenderness over the swelling. There was no rebound tenderness in the abdomen. Abdominal CT revealed disruption of the internal oblique muscle and herniation of the intestine through the defect. There were no other abnormal findings, such as peritoneal effusion, retroperitoneal hematoma or other parenchymal injuries. Emergency operation was performed under the diagnosis of traumatic abdominal hernia. The operative findings included laceration of the peritoneum, transverse muscle of the abdomen and the internal and external oblique muscles, and also intestinal herniation. The intestines were not damaged and were restored into the abdominal cavity. The hernia orifice was closed with interrupted sutures. The postoperative course was not uneventful and the patient was discharged from the hospital on the 7th postoperative day. Traumatic abdominal hernia is a rare condition, and only 19 cases have been reported in the literature from Japan. We have reported yet another case herein, with a review of the previously reported cases in the literature.
