Diagnosis and treatment of a rare case of an incarcerated bilateral Spigelian hernia with the vermiform appendix and caecum

Abstract

Spigelian hernia is a rare form of abdominal wall defect. Bilateral Spigelian hernias are even less common. Surgical repair of Spigelian hernias is recommended due to their high risk of incarceration and strangulation of abdominal contents. A variety of surgical approaches to repair these hernias have been described in the literature including the traditional open approach, laparoscopic transabdominal preperitoneal approach, laparoscopic intraperitoneal repair and laparoscopic totally extraperitoneal repair. Here, we present the case of an elderly female patient with rare bilateral Spigelian hernias, the right side containing incarcerated appendix and caecal pole. The left hernia was unrecognised on preoperative CT imaging. To our knowledge, very few cases have been reported in the literature. The patient underwent bilateral laparoscopic intraperitoneal mesh repair. All technical aspects of the treatment are discussed here, in the context of the current literature, including the surgical technique and the limitations of the CT diagnosis. We aim to summarise the background of these uncommon hernias, the limitations of preoperative investigations and the differences between the available operative approaches.

Keywords: gastrointestinal surgery; general surgery.