Incarcerated Internal Abdominal Hernia: A Rare Case Report

Internal abdominal hernias are rare abdominal hernias. Several internal abdominal hernias are associated with diagnostic challenges owing to the extremely low incidence of complicated forms of this condition. This report presents a clinical case with a description of the surgical intervention and postoperative management. A 42-year-old woman was urgently admitted to the surgical department with a presumptive diagnosis of sigmoid diverticulitis or sigmoid mesoappendix torsion. Diagnostic laparoscopy showed an incarcerated ileal loop 120.0 cm proximal to the ileocecal junction, entrapped within a defect of the left broad ligament of the uterus. The incarceration was released and the defect sutured. Moreover, the postoperative course was uneventful. The surgical wound healed by primary intention, and no febrile episodes occurred. Gastrointestinal function recovered, and the patient passed a formed stool on postoperative day 2. The patient was discharged in satisfactory condition on post-admission day 4, with recommendations for follow-up by a surgeon and gynecologist. This case report reveals that rare internal abdominal hernias can present with various clinical manifestations, complicating the diagnostic process.