A normal appendix in a painful sliding hernia--an unusual case

An Amyand's hernia, with a frequency of 0.6% to 1%, is the rare finding of an appendix within an inguinal hernia. This term is applicable to both findings of inflamed as well as a non inflamed appendix. The condition is commonly misdiagnosed as an incarcerated hernia and its diagnosis is almost always made intraoperative. A 63 years old male presented to the out patient department with a right inguinoscrotal swelling that had recently developed pain, radiating to the scrotum on the same side. A right inguinal herniotomy was planned and upon opening the sac a non-inflamed appendix was seen as a sliding component of the hernia. An appendectomy followed by a standard Lichtenstein tension free mesh repair was performed, and the patient was discharged on the second postoperative day without any complications.