Amyand hernia repair with mesh and appendectomy

BACKGROUND: Amyand hernias have been described in case reports in the literature and are a rare occurrence in the career of a surgeon. Their management is even less well described and often poses problems in the management of repair due to concerns with contamination associated with appendectomy. Here, we describe a patient with an Amyand hernia seen on CT imaging preoperatively, who underwent appendectomy along with a lightweight mesh plug repair of his hernia. CASE PRESENTATION: An 88-year-old male presented with a right groin bulge and underwent preoperative imaging which indicated the presence of his appendix within his hernia. He was taken to the operating room electively where an appendectomy was performed due to significant chronic inflammatory changes. A lightweight mesh plug was used to repair the hernia to prevent recurrence. He did well post operatively without any complications. CONCLUSIONS: A review of the literature supports the use of mesh repair in these of hernias even with appendectomy at the time of the hernia repair. This will guide surgeons who encounter this clinical rarity in their practice.