Laparoscopic Reduction and Closure of an Internal Hernia Secondary to Gynecologic Surgery

Internal hernia is a rare cause of bowel obstruction which often requires emergent surgery. In general, the preoperative diagnosis of internal hernia is difficult. The pelvic cavity has various spaces with the potential to result in a hernia, especially in females. In this report, we describe a patient with an internal hernia secondary to previous gynecologic surgery. A 49-year-old woman presented with acute abdominal pain and a history of previous right oophorectomy for a benign ovarian cyst. Computed tomography scan of the abdomen showed obstruction with strangulation and emergent laparoscopic exploration was performed. Intraoperatively, there was an incarcerated internal hernia in the pelvis, located in the vesicouterine pouch, which was reduced. The orifice of the hernia was a 2 cm defect caused by adhesions between the uterus and bladder. The defect was closed with a continuous suture. The herniated bowel was viable, and the operation was completed without intestinal resection. She was discharged four days after surgery without complications. Laparoscopy is useful to diagnose bowel obstruction in selected patients and may also be used for definitive therapy. It is important to understand pelvic anatomy and consider an internal hernia of the pelvic cavity in females, in the differential diagnosis of bowel obstruction, especially those with a history of gynecological surgery.