An incarcerated paraduodenal hernia of a malrotated gut in a 26-year-old man.

UNLABELLED: Introduction and importance: Paraduodenal hernias (PDHs) are congenital internal hernias. Overall, internal hernias are between 0.2 % and 0.9 %, while 53 % of these statistics are for PDH. There are left and right types of PDHs.

CASE PRESENTATION: An otherwise healthy 26-year-old man was presented with a sudden-onset epigastric and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. Abdominopelvic double contrasted CT scan revealed multiple dilated proximal-mid small bowel loops in the portal venous phase consistent with small bowel obstruction, suggesting concomitant bowel malrotation with internal paraduodenal hernia. The patient with the pre-operative diagnosis of small bowel obstruction due to volvulus was scheduled for emergency surgery. He was four weeks complication-free in his regular follow-up.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION: In 1857, Treitz first described PDH as a phenomenon when the primitive midgut in embryonic life abnormally rotates and causes mesocolic hernia. The location of the duodenal recess is the origin point for describing the hernia; thus, the jejunum is the most common herniating viscus. However, the stomach, small intestine, and sometimes the colon usually consist of the contents of the hernia.

CONCLUSION

In the absence of surgical history, abdominal wall hernia, and intra-abdominal inflammatory disease, in case of repeated abdominal pain or intestinal obstruction, and if no other causes are found, the possibility of a PDH should be kept in mind.