Incisional intercostal hernia with prolapse of the colon after right partial nephrectomy

A 75-year-old woman with a history of myocardial infarction, gallstones, and right renal cancer was referred to our department because of right flank pain. She had a surgical scar on the right abdomen between the 10th and 11th ribs; computed tomography demonstrated intercostal herniation of the colon. Recognizing the possibility of adhesions of the hernia and colon, we used a median skin incision and patched a polyester mesh coated with absorbent collagen. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course, with no pain for 6 months postoperatively. Transdiaphragmatic intercostal hernias with abdominal contents commonly develop after trauma or thoracic surgery. Incisional intercostal hernias seldom develop after nephrectomy; the present case is only the fourth report. We conjecture that a costochondral incision can induce subluxation of the costotransverse joint, intercostal nerve injury, and atrophy of the intercostal and abdominal oblique muscles. Surgeons must therefore recognize the potential, albeit rare, for intercostal hernia after nephrectomy.