Primary Petit's Triangle Hernia With Bowel Strangulation: Management in a Resource-Limited Setting

Lumbar hernias are rare surgical entities that may present asymptomatically or with complications such as obstruction and strangulation. We report a case of a 45-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department with a painful, irreducible swelling in the right lumbar region accompanied by vomiting, abdominal pain, and obstipation. Although she had been aware of a painless lump in the same area for months, the acute presentation suggested strangulation. Due to limited access to advanced imaging, an emergency exploration was performed via a direct lumbar incision, revealing a non-viable segment of small bowel. The affected bowel was resected with primary anastomosis, and the small fascial defect was closed primarily. The patient recovered without complications and showed no recurrence at the 1-year follow-up. This case highlights the diagnostic challenges of strangulated lumbar hernias and demonstrates that timely open surgical repair based on clinical assessment alone can be life-saving, particularly in resource-constrained settings.