Delayed Stenosis of the Small Intestine after Surgery via the Femoral Approach Combined with Laparoscopy for an Incarcerated Femoral Hernia

Abstract

We report a case of delayed stenosis of the small intestine after surgery for an incarcerated femoral hernia. An 85-year-old woman diagnosed as having incarceration of a femoral hernia underwent surgery via the femoral approach combined with laparoscopy. The incarcerated intestine was preserved due to improvement of its color. Then, 32 days after the surgery, the patient was admitted with abdominal pain and vomiting, and was diagnosed as having intestinal obstruction. Laparoscopic surgery was performed and the thickened intestinal part was resected.
Histological examination of the resected specimen revealed hypertrophy with fibrosis of the wall, and denuding of the mucosa in the thickened intestinal part. Such patients should be carefully followed up after surgery in an attempt to avoid delayed small bowel stenosis