A rare case of a closed loop obstruction due to epiploic appendage of the sigmoid colon

Abstract

An internal hernia is a protrusion of viscera through a congenital or acquired defect in the mesentery of peritoneum. They account for <0.9% of all small bowel obstructions [1] and ~4% of obstructions due to hernias [2]. We present a rare case of closed loop obstruction secondary to a band adhesion traversing the lower abdomen from a sigmoid colon appendage epiploicae to the right pelvic wall. A 82-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with nausea, vomiting and worsening right sided abdominal pain for 24 h, on the background of previous pelvic radiation and hysterectomy for uterine cancer. She was subsequently found to have a closed loop obstruction with 30 cm of ischemic bowel strangulated by a band adhesion from a sigmoid colon appendage epiploicae to the right abdominal wall. The patient underwent a successful small bowel resection with primary anastomosis and made an uneventful recovery.