Tension pneumoperitoneum is a very rare consequence of acute gangrenous appendicitis. We report a case of a 32-year-old woman who presented with abdominal pain, progressively increasing abdominal distension, profound hemodynamic instability and ventilatory compromise. The diagnosis of tension pneumoperitoneum was confirmed by computed tomography, which showed compression of the intra-abdominal viscera and liver (saddlebag sign) by a large volume of intraperitoneal free air. Urgent needle decompression was done as an emergency measure. Exploratory laparotomy, planned due to persistent peritonitis, revealed gangrenous appendicitis with perforation near its base. Appendicectomy with excision of gangrenous portion of caecum was performed. The purpose of the reporting this case is to highlight that the tension pneumoperitoneum can be, very rarely, associated with gangrenous appendicitis and timely diagnosis is very important for the emergency management of this deadly condition.

Diaphragmatic hernia through the central tendon is a very rare entity. We report on a case that developed to acute intestinal obstruction, secondary to herniation of the small intestine through a small defect in the central tendon of the diaphragm. The patient never had any trauma to his chest or abdomen and had no history suggestive of congenital nature of the diaphragmatic hernia. However, he had coronary artery bypass grafting with saphenous vein used as a graft, done almost 17 years back; hence, we suspect it to be an iatrogenic hernia. A laparoscopic herniorrhaphy of the diaphragmatic defect was carried out after reducing the herniated organ.

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is a rare clinical entity in terms of aetiology. It occurs following a blunt abdominal injury with energy high enough to cause disruption of the musculoaponeurotic layer but not the elastic skin layer. It is often associated with underlying intra-abdominal injuries, which can be diagnosed either clinically or radiologically. We report a case of TAWH in a young man with associated large bowel transection, which remained undiagnosed in the preoperative period owing to its masked features. He was managed surgically, with no recurrence to date. Considering the high volume of blunt abdominal trauma cases that present to the accident and emergency department, only few cases of TAWH have been reported in the literature. Confusion still exists regarding the timing and mode of management of this condition. KEYWORDSAbdominal wall -Traffic accidents -Abdominal hernia -Aetiology -Motorcycles Traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is an unusual type of hernia that occurs following a non-penetrating abdominal trauma resulting in breach of the musculoaponeurotic layers of the abdomen with an intact overlying skin. Although blunt abdominal trauma is very common, the incidence of TAWH is low. The diagnosis of TAWH is rarely straightforward owing to the various clinical presentations and management therefore varies substantially. 1 We report a unique case of TAWH following a road traffic accident with associated hollow viscous injury. Case historyA 30-year-old man presented to the accident and emergency department having sustained a high velocity blunt trauma injury over his left flank from a hollow metal pipe two hours earlier while driving a motorcycle. The patient was haemodynamically unstable. He had a tender, irreducible swelling of approximately 15cm x 10cm over the left flank with evidence of an overlying bruise and abrasions (Fig 1). There was no expansile cough impulse over the swelling and the swelling was soft in consistency. General abdominal examination was insignificant and there was no peritonitis. Focused assessment with sonography for trauma showed no intra-abdominal fluid collection. However, ultrasonography indicated a possible parietal breach at the site of the lump. Multidetector computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen revealed a full-thickness defect over the left lumbar region with small bowel herniation (Fig 2).The patient was posted for an exploratory laparotomy by a midline approach. A 20cm loop of jejunum was found to be herniating through a gap of 7cm over the left lumbar region. A complete transection of the descending colon was also noted (Fig 3). Both the proximal and distal ends of the transected colon were also seen to be herniating through the defect. There was collection of stool and blood clots in the ONLINE CASE REPORT Ann R Coll Surg Engl 2016; 98: e133-e135

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