Abdominal hernia through a defect in the iliac bone after resection of a chondrosarcoma of the pelvis

Chondrosarcoma is a malignant tumor with, generally, a better prognosis than osteogenic sarcoma; it usually calls for surgical treatment with a wide margin of resection, in view of its marked resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy, but this may be difficult or impossible in one of its most frequent locations, i.e. the pelvis. Herniation of abdominal contents through a surgical defect in the iliac bone is a rare complication, and is almost always associated with bone graft harvesting from the iliac crest. We present the case of a male patient operated for a chondrosarcoma of the ilium, with wide resection of the tumor. During follow-up in the outpatient department, the existence of a hernia with intestinal contents through the defect created in the ilium was noted. The patient has now been followed for 10 years, and there have been no clinical repercussions of the hernia. No recurrence of the tumoral lesion has been observed. We review the cases published and discuss the treatments recommended.