Early surgical intervention is critical for strangulated Richter's hernia
File(s)
Author(s)
Smith, Christopher R
Chatzikonstantinou, Michail
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Richter’s hernia is a rare but serious surgical emergency involving the entrapment or strangulation of part of the bowel’s circumference in the hernial orifice, often without causing complete luminal obstruction. This case report describes a man in his 70s presenting with a 3-day history of abdominal pain and vomiting, despite normal bowel movements. Blood results revealed raised inflammatory markers, and computed tomography imaging suggested small bowel obstruction due to an incarcerated left inguinal hernia. Emergency surgery confirmed a Richter’s hernia with a strangulated but viable bowel loop. Early surgical intervention led to a positive outcome. This case underscores the importance of high suspicion, early referral, and timely imaging in managing Richter’s hernia to prevent severe complications, such as gangrene and perforation. Despite the absence of obstructive symptoms, early surgical intervention is critical when there is clinical concern regarding strangulation.
Date Issued
2024-10-01
Date Acceptance
2024-09-26
Citation
Journal of Surgical Case Reports, 2024, 2024 (10)
ISSN
2042-8812
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Surgical Case Reports
Volume
2024
Issue
10
Copyright Statement
Published by Oxford University Press and JSCR Publishing Ltd. © The Author(s) 2024. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/39399630
PII: rjae642
Subjects
abdominal hernia
emergency general surgery
inguinal hernia
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Science & Technology
Surgery
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
rjae642
Date Publish Online
2024-10-11