Laparoscopic repair of an internal supravesical hernia: a rare hernia causing small bowel obstruction

The application of diagnostic laparoscopy in emergency surgery has facilitated a wide range of endoscopic operative procedures. We report an extremely rare case of a patient who had a bowel obstruction caused by an internal supravesical hernia that was repaired via a minimally invasive technique. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed signs of small bowel obstruction: the cause was thought to be an invagination due to a small bowel tumor. Laparoscopic exploration of the dilated small bowel segments allowed the diagnosis of supravesical hernia. Reduction was performed with slight traction, and the hernial orifice was closed with intracorporeal sutures. To our knowledge, this is the first repair of an internal supravesical hernia ever to receive herniorraphy based on laparoscopic techniques. The mean starting time for bowel-function and mean hospital stay following the laparoscopic release of the intestinal obstruction were significantly shorter than is typically seen with standard techniques.