Cystectomy: a catastrophic complication of herniorrhaphy

Injury to the bladder is a known complication of inguinal herniorrhaphy. Infants less than 6 months old may be more at risk because the medial aspect of indirect inguinal hernia sacs are associated closely with the wall of bladder ("bladder ears"). We report 2 cases of almost complete excision of the bladder during routine herniorrhaphy. In 1 patient bilateral ureteroileocecoplasty provided a course of management free of complication.