Three Cases of Incarcerated Femoral Hernia Repaired by Laparoscopic Mesh Repair

Abstract

Incarcerated femoral hernia frequently causes intestinal necrosis. We performed an emergency surgery in 3 cases using a femoral approach without incising the hernia sac to observe the hernia contents and by continuously evaluating the incarcerated intestine during laparoscopy. The patients were relatively elderly, ranging in age from 73 to 82 years. The performance status score of case 1 was 2. All the cases were women, the hernias were all on the right side, and the hernia contents all consisted of the small intestine. The total surgical time ranged from 35 to 121 min, and one patient with severe intestinal ischemia received an intestinal resection. The postoperative courses of all the cases were uneventful. This method, with a preceding femoral approach and evaluation of the intestinal ischemia using laparoscopy, promises the possibility of a safe and minimally invasive surgical procedure.