Small Bowel Perforation as a Consequence of Strangulated Direct Inguinal Hernia

Inguinal hernia is probably one of the most common surgical conditions, with strangulation accounting for a good number of acute surgical admissions. It has always been known that direct hernias are less likely to strangulate due to wide hernial defects in comparison to indirect hernia. For that reason, some surgeons do not attempt repair of direct hernias in elderly patients. We present a relatively uncommon case of a 58-year-old gentleman who presented with clinical signs of an incarcerated inguinal hernia; which was found at exploration to be a strangulated direct hernia with small bowel perforation. We believe that direct inguinal hernia should always be included in the differential diagnosis of incarcerated or strangulated groin hernia.