Abstract
We describe a patient who developed sigmoid colon penetration after left inguinal hernia repair with a mesh plug. The patient was an 80s man who had undergone repair of a left inguinal hernia 10 years previously. He presented to our hospital because of purulent discharge from the surgical scar in the left inguinal region. CT scans revealed a fistula between the sigmoid colon and the body surface. We diagnosed penetration of the sigmoid colon by the mesh used for hernia repair and performed surgery. At operation, it was found that the mesh plug had penetrated the sigmoid colon, creating a mass with strong adhesion to the scarred abdominal wall in the left inguinal region. We resected the affected part of the sigmoid colon together with the mesh and the fistulous track.
Examination of the resected specimen revealed that the tip of the mesh plug had entered the sigmoid colon, leading to the cutaneous fistula. Postoperatively, he developed surgical site infection, but recovered with conservative treatment. There have only been a few reports of Japanese patients with colon penetration after inguinal hernia repair, so we are reporting this case with discussion of the literature.
