Hernia uteri inguinale in an 18 months old female infant: A case report

INTRODUCTION: Inguinal hernia is the most frequent hernia of childhood. About 15–20% of females with inguinal hernias, the ovaries and/or the fallopian tubes may be contents of the herniation sac. Meanwhile uterus is very rare to be encountered. Our aim is to alert Pediatric surgeons to such condition and remind them of the important technical steps to treat and manage this condition. CASE REPORT: Elective surgery on an 18 months old female child with right inguinal hernia was performed electively through an open inguinal approach; the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovary were found in the hernia sac. DISCUSSION: The etiology of the hernia uterine inguinale in general is controversial, however there may be some degree of weakness of the uterine and ovarian suspensory ligament. Thompson noted that if there is failure of fusion of the Mullerian ducts, it leads to increase in the mobility of ovary and uterus, increasing the possibility of herniation of ovary, tubes and uterus. It was reported to be associated with disorders of sexual development. Surgical procedure for inguinal hernias containing uterus is often different from the ones containing only the ovary, as these organs are strongly attached to the hernia sac and it has to be freed from the wall of the hernia sac. CONCLUSION: We want to stress that in hernia uterii ovarii, dissection of the sac is essential for successful hernia repair unlike routine hernioraphy and to consider associated disorder of sexual differentiation.