An emergency operation case of linea alba hernia with impaction of the small intestine

Abstract

We report an emergently operated case of linea alba hernia with impaction of the small intestine. An 80–year–old woman was seen at the emergency clinic in our hospital because of upper abdominal pain. She had been diagnosed as having an abdominal hernia three years earlier. She had an eggsized palpable mass lesion with severe tenderness in the upper abdomen. Enhanced CT scan revealed the herniation through the rectal muscle in the upper abdominal wall at where the small intestine was impacted. The manual reduction of the impacted small intestine was difficult. We diagnosed the case as linea alba hernia with impaction of the small intestine and performed an emergency operation. During surgery, the hernia opening 2cm in diameter was identified on the linea alba ; the hernia sac was dissected when the impacted intestine showed only congestion and involved no necrotic areas. We employed the tension free repair method without resecting the hernia sac and impacted small intestine. She has been free from symptoms of recurrence of the hernia with good quality of life.