De Garengeot hernia with avascular necrosis of the appendix: A case report

BACKGROUND: An incarcerated hernia is a common cause of acute abdominal pain. There are various types of incarcerated hernias, including incarcerated hernias of the appendix. These hernias are often complicated by appendiceal inflammation, necrosis, and suppuration, which affect the outcome of surgical repair. A De Garengeot hernia is a femoral hernia that contains the appendix. This type of hernia has a low incidence. When a De Garengeot hernia is clinically suspected, emergency surgical treatment should be performed as soon as possible. CASE SUMMARY: A 59-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a painful right inguinal mass that had suddenly developed 6 hours earlier. Physical examination revealed a 4 cm × 2 cm palpable mass in the right groin. The mass was hard and could not be reduced due to tenderness. It did not descend into the scrotum. B-ultrasound revealed an incarcerated hernia. During surgery, the hernia was found to contain the appendix, which exhibited distal avascular necrosis. A De Garengeot hernia was diagnosed according to the classification criteria of this type of inguinal hernia. Laparoscopic reduction of the incarcerated hernia, appendectomy, and small-incision femoral hernia repair were performed in the emergency department, and cefuroxime was administered as anti-infection therapy for 2 d postoperatively. After treatment, the patient had no abdominal pain or infection and was discharged on postoperative day 4. He had no recurrence of the inguinal hernia after 16 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: De Garengeot hernias have a low incidence and are difficult to diagnose. Laparoscopy is useful for their diagnosis and treatment.