Obturator hernia--clinical significance of radiologic diagnosis

Obturator hernia was revealed in 15 of 850 patients undergoing herniography for investigation of groin pain of obscure cause. The 15 patients (4 men, 11 women) were retrospectively analyzed in regard to symptoms, treatment and clinical outcome. They were of normal physique and with median age 56 years. Surgical exploration was performed in five cases, but confirmed presence of hernial sac in only two. Even after hernial repair these two patients still had symptoms. Two of the three patients with negative surgical findings were asymptomatic postoperatively. Of the ten patients without surgery, six had only minor symptoms and in four the symptoms were in the contralateral groin. The study showed that herniography in patients with groin pain can reveal small obturator hernias, but these hernias are mostly without significance for the patient's symptoms.