Small bowel obstruction caused by pericaecal hernia resolved with a laparoscopic approach

Small bowel obstruction from internal hernias is a familiar pathology for the surgeon, with an incidence of 0.5-5.8%. However, pericaecal hernia is a very uncommon type of internal hernia. Diagnosis and early treatment are essential to avoid strangulation and necrosis of the incarcerated small bowel. We report a case of an 84-year-old woman with no previous history of abdominal surgery who came to our hospital having endured 6 hours of abdominal pain and vomiting. Following physical examination and computed tomography, a diagnosis of small bowel obstruction caused by pericaecal hernia was made and emergency surgery was performed. The hernia was successfully reduced with a laparoscopic approach. Although pericaecal hernia is a rare disease, surgeons should bear it in mind as a differential diagnosis in small bowel obstruction.