PARADUODENAL HERNIA

Paraduodenal hernia is the most common form of congenital internal hernia and is defined as protrusion of bowel into the retro- peritoneal space through peritoneal defects near the third and fourth portion of the duodenum.(1) There is a lifetime risk of obstruction and bowel strangulation is around 50% with a mortality of 20% and higher. Despite the rarity of the disease, it poses a serious surgical problem. (1) The high risk of obstruction and the associated mortality mandate repair once the diagnosis is established. We present the interesting case of a 32-year-old man with a left para-duodenal hernia who presented with abdominal pain and vomiting and underwent subsequent emergency exploratory laparotomy with hernia repair. The purpose of this paper is to review the etiology, pathology, diagnosis and treatment of para-duodenal hernia and to heighten the awareness of this rare but significant disease.