A case report and literature review of De Garengeot hernia

The presence of an appendix in the femoral hernia, known as De Garengeot hernia, was first described by a French surgeon named Rene Jacques Croissant de Garengeot in 1731. It is a rare surgical entity occurring in only 0.5-5% of all femoral hernias. It presents typically as an irreducible lump in the groin which may be difficult to differentiate from incarcerated inguinal hernia. The risk of incarceration is high due to the narrow femoral defect which can result in extraluminal compression of the appendix causing acute appendicitis. We have presented a 71-year-old woman with a 24 hour history of incarcerated De Garengeot hernia who underwent successful open femoral hernia repair with laparoscopic appendicectomy. While open femoral hernia repair with open appendicectomy is regarded as the commonly used surgical approach, we have highlighted the importance of pre-operative and intra-operative findings in predicting definitive surgical management.