Abstract

Congenital internal herniation is a rare condition presenting as recurrent abdominal pain or acute intestinal obstruction. In cases in which bowel incarceration or strangulation develop, rapid progression to bowel ischemia, necrosis or perforation is inevitable. Mortality in such cases has been reported to be as high as 50%. Despite advances in imaging modalities, arriving at a pre-operative diagnosis of a congenital internal herniation remains a challenge. We report such a case where imaging was unsuccessful in determining the cause of intestinal obstruction in a 3 year old child. Congenital internal herniation may result in disastrous consequences if not addressed in a timely fashion due to its rarity. Hence a high index of clinical suspicion is needed to avoid missing this diagnosis in a child presenting with recurrent abdominal pain or acute intestinal obstruction.

Authors

Tan YL, Alhagi MV

Institution

Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru, General Surgery, Jalan Abu Bakar, Johor Bahru, Johor 80100 Malaysia. mail2yeeling@yahoo.com

Source

The Medical journal of Malaysia 67:1 2012 Feb pg 118-20

MeSH

Child, Preschool
Gangrene
Hernia
Humans
Intestinal Obstruction
Male

Pub Type(s)

Case Reports
Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22582563