[Spiegelian hernias. Report of 51 cases]

We describe 51 cases of Spiegel's hernias, and report a critical review of the relevant literature. The patients presented with an isolated mass in 17 cases, abdominal pain in 17 cases, and a complication in 14 cases (intestinal occlusion in 8, incarceration in 6). The hernia was discovered fortuitously by compute tomography in three cases. The diagnosis was made preoperatively in 31 cases and during surgery in 17 cases. Sonography was contributory in 10 cases and compute tomography in 6 cases. In 47 cases the deep orifice was located at the level of Douglas' arch, in the anterolateral abdomen. The hernial sack remained interstitial in every case, under the aponeurosis of the external oblique. The contents were irreducible or strangulated in 14 cases. Surgery was necessary in all but three cases. The approach was lateral in 43 cases and medial in 5 cases. The indications of laparoscopy in this setting are discussed.