Abstract
A patient with an internal hernia through a defect in the broad ligament of the uterus is presented. A 62-year-oldwoman complaining of upper abdominal pain was admitted to our hospital on July 13, 2003. Two days after admission, an abdominal X-ray examination revealed dilated loops of the small intestine and multiplanar reformatted computedtomography (MPR-CT) revealed the strangulation of the small intestine in the left pelvic cavity. The patientunderwent an emergency operation after Blumberg's sign was observed. The operative findings revealed a herniationof the small intestine in the left pelvic cavity, as demonstrated by MPR-CT. She was diagnosed as having an internalhernia originating in an abnormal defect of the broad ligament of the uterus. Internal herniation through a defect inthe broad ligament of the uterus is extremely rare, and a precise diagnosis is difficult. In this case, MPR-CT wasextremely useful for diagnosis because it clearly demonstrated the position of strangulation. MPR-CT may have greatpotential for the diagnosis of ileus.
