De Garengeot’s hernia: A masked abdominal perforation

Abstract

Introduction: de Garengeot’s hernias occur when an inflamed appendix is encased within a femoral sac. This is a relatively rare type of femoral hernia. As a result, there are currently no guidelines for the management of these hernias. Case: We present a 90-year-old woman with a de Garengeot’s hernia complicated with strangulation and perforation. The diagnosis was made intraoperatively, and it was managed with hernia repair and an appendicectomy. There were no postoperative complications. Discussion: The presentation of de Garengeot’s hernias is non-specific. Enclosure of the bowel content within the hernia sac may mask systemic systems of disease. Rarely, septic signs or symptoms are identified on presentation. It is typically diagnosed intraoperatively, thus prompt emergency surgery should not be delayed by clinicians awaiting precise knowledge of the sac content via imaging. Prompt surgery with a single McEvedy incision enables treatment for both the appendicitis and abdominal wall defect, an appendectomy and hernia repair, respectively. In patients that present with an irreducible femoral hernia and biochemistry suggestive of an acute inflammatory process, there should be a high clinical suspicion for de Garengeot’s hernia due to the risk of perforation being masked by an anatomical encasement around the perforated bowel content.