Urinary bladder diverticulum as a content of femoral hernia: a case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND: Long standing increase of the intravesical pressure resulting from urinary bladder outlet obstruction can cause both secondary bladder diverticula and groin hernias. In rare cases, a diverticulum can be pulled by a hernia sac and becomes a component of the hernia itself. Such cases were encountered in inguinal, perineal and obturator hernias. However, to our knowledge, there has been only one case reported in the literature of a bladder diverticulum herniated in to the femoral canal. METHODS: Literature search using PubMed was performed to identify all published cases of herniation of bladder diverticula in to the femoral canal. RESULTS: Literature search revealed only one case before the present one. CONCLUSION: Urinary bladder diverticula should be considered as a possible content of femoral hernias especially in males with long standing obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms. As the clinical features of such a case are not specific, a high index of suspicion along with proper imaging studies are of great help in making a timely diagnosis to improve the outcome.