Strangulated internal hernia through a defect of the broad ligament: a case report of laparoscopic surgery

An internal hernia is defined as the protrusion of an internal organ through a defect in the abdominal cavity. Broad ligament hernia (BLH) is an extremely rare type of internal hernia that is difficult to diagnose preoperatively because the symptoms are nonspecific. However, early diagnosis is crucial, and early surgery is required to reduce complications such as strangulation. Laparoscopy has the advantage of enabling simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of BLH. With the advancement of the laparoscopic techniques, several cases of laparoscopic treatment of BLH have been reported. Nevertheless, open surgery is primarily performed in patients requiring bowel resection. We present a case of laparoscopic surgery for a strangulated internal hernia through a broad ligament defect. We successfully resected the strangulated small intestine and closed the defect of the broad ligament laparoscopically with a minor incision.