2021 Volume 112 Issue 3 Pages 137-140
We present a case of pelvic organ prolapse and inguinal hernia worsened by a benign ovarian tumor with ascites. A 61-year-old woman was referred to us complaining of feeling of something protruding from her vagina. She was diagnosed with Stage III cystocele. Behavioral therapy was administered as she had only slight subjective symptoms. She visited us eight months later due to a rapid aggravation of cystocele and voiding difficulty. She subsequently developed acute abdominal pain caused by incarcerated inguinal hernia. Abdominal ultrasound, MRI and CT showed a 10.6×9.0 cm pelvic mass with ascites. As an ovarian cancer with peritoneal dissemination was suspected, she immediately underwent total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and colposuspension. Pathological diagnosis was fibrothecoma, a benign ovarian tumor. Postoperative course was uneventful, and ascites quickly disappeared in a manner similar to Meigs syndrome. Although no procedure was done to manage inguinal hernia, it was unproblematic for 18 months, after that it worsened, necessitating hernial repair. She had no recurrence of prolapse or ascites.
Increased intra-abdominal pressure due to abdominal mass or ascites can worsen prolapse and hernial diseases such as inguinal, umbilical, and abdominal hernia. In this case, ovarian fibrothecoma with ascites seemed to be responsible for worsening of the prolapse and inguinal hernia. To conclude, it is important to consider background diseases when examining patients with prolapse and coexisting hernial diseases.
