Acquired spontaneous intercostal abdominal hernia: Case report and a comprehensive review of the world literature

Abstract

Intercostal hernias develop most often as a result of a blunt or penetrating thoracoabdominal trauma. We know of no prior report of a spontaneously occuring intercostal hernia. This study presents a review of the published literature that deals with this uncommon phenomenon, along with a discussion of our patient's clinical presentation and imaging findings.

Posttraumatic Transdiaphragmatic Intercostal Hernia: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

“…4 However, there are several cases that have been described to be a consequence of a coughing-spell rib fracture, usu-ally in patients with other predisposing factors such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, advanced age, or osteoporosis. 1,3,4 The present report describes a case of a middleaged obese patient that developed a transdiaphragmatic intercostal hernia involving the liver and the ascending colon 6 months after a traumatic incident. The underlying mechanism, the anatomical and diagnostic considerations, as well as the treatment options are also discussed.…”

“…[1][2][3] This condition is usually reported to occur following penetrating or blunt injuries of the thoracic wall. 4 However, there are several cases that have been described to be a consequence of a coughing-spell rib fracture, usu-ally in patients with other predisposing factors such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, advanced age, or osteoporosis.…”

Laparoscopic paracostal herniorrhaphy in a dog: case report

“…The inguinal, prepubic, and the paracostal areas present the largest incidence of abdominal hernias. Among the thoracic lesions, the diaphragm is the most affected, young male dogs being the most representative population (Moreno-Egea et al, 2007;Smeak, 2007;Unlu et al, 2007).…”

“…In this case, laparoscopy allowed extensive observation of the abdomen and diaphragm, identification of the omentum as the only hernia content, and traction of this tissue. Unlu et al (2007), in a work conducted with human patients, found the omentum to be the main structure protruding into intercostal hernias, followed by the colon and small intestine.…”

“…At that moment, the procedure was interrupted and insufflation stopped for some minutes to reduce intra-abdominal pressure and allow drainage of the thorax for stabilization of the patient. A thoracic drain was placed only in the left side, since dogs can have mediastinal pleura splitting the pleural cavity in two hemithoraxes (Unlu et al, 2007) and the lesion was limited to the left one.…”