Laparoscopic Surgery for Small Bowel Obstruction due to Paracecal Hernia

Internal hernia related to paracecal hernia is a rare disease and is difficult to confirm by preoperative diagnosis. We recently encountered a case of an 83-year-old woman who had lower abdominal pain in her right quadrant. Based on physical findings and CT findings she was diagnosed as having small bowel obstruction by internal hernia around the cecum. She underwent emergency operation with laparoscopic surgery and was diagnosed with a paracecal hernia and treated laparoscopically. After we dissected the ventral wall of the hernia sac and enlarged the hernia orifice, we reduced the trapped small intestine into the abdominal space. We determined that the herniated portion of the small intestine was not necrotic and therefore did not resect it. Although paracecal hernia is a rare internal hernia, physicians should be aware of it as a differential diagnosis for small bowel obstruction because of its rapid progression to strangulation and necrosis. We highlight the importance of recognizing CT findings of paracecal internal hernia. Laparoscopy was effective both for making a definitive diagnosis and treating paracecal hernia with relatively little invasion.