A case of an abscess in inguinal hernial sac occurred after the operation for peritonitis

Abstract

A male in his sixties underwent an emergency operation for diffuse peritonitis caused by idiopathic small-bowel perforation. He complained of pain in the right inguinal region four days after the operation. A mass was palpated in his right inguinal region and it was irreducible. We suspected the incarceration of inguinal hernia and an emergency operation was performed. We found a thumb-head sized elastic hard mass in the spermatic cord which connected to the peritoneum. An abscess was formed in the mass. It was considered that the abscess was formed inside the patent processus vaginalis. It should be suspected that a similar condition as this case could be occurring when a painful mass developes after an operation for peritonitis.