TITLE:
Femoral Hernia: A Review of the Clinical Anatomy and Surgical Treatment
AUTHORS:
Makio Mike, Nobuyasu Kano
KEYWORDS:
Femoral Hernia; Clinical Anatomy; Mesh Repair; Ruggi’s Repair
JOURNAL NAME:
Surgical Science,
Vol.4 No.10,
October
22,
2013
ABSTRACT: Purpose: Femoral hernia is a kind of ventral hernia that surgeons commonly encounter,
second in frequency only to inguinal hernia. Femoral hernias often require
emergency surgery because of incarceration or strangulation of the intestine.
In addition, intestinal resection may need to be considered based on intestinal
viability. Definitive preoperative diagnosis and strategic planning for surgery
are thus important. The surgeon should consider the operation in the context of
the clinical anatomy of the abdominal cavity. Therefore the essence of the
clinical anatomy and treatment of femoral hernia is described. Methods: The medical records of 38
patients who underwent femoral hernia repair between March 2006 and November
2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Femoral hernioplasty was performed with original mesh repair or Ruggi’s
repair plus iliopubic tract repair (or Bassini’s repair). The mean patient age
was 76.7 years, and a female predominance was apparent. Twenty-four patients
underwent emergency surgery with a diagnosis of incarcerated femoral hernia.
Nine patients showed intestinal strangulation and underwent resection of the
small intestine. Four patients developed complications. One patient died due to
aspiration pneumonia. No recurrences were encountered after 6 months to 6 years
of follow-up. Conclusion: Femoral
hernia is an important surgical condition with high rates of
incarceration/strangulation and intestinal resection. Correct preoperative
diagnosis of femoral hernia and a strict operative strategy are important. The
original mesh repair is effective and easy to perform.