Jejunal obstruction due to a variant of transmesocolic hernia: a rare presentation of an acute abdomen

BACKGROUND Internal hernias include paraduodenal, pericecal, through foramen of Winslow, intersigmoid and retroanastomotic hernias. These hernias could be either congenital or acquired after abdominal surgery. They account for approximately 0.5-5 % of all cases of intestinal obstruction. CASE PRESENTATION A 48-year-old female was admitted to casualty with a history of abdominal distension and vomiting of 3 days duration. An abdominal X-ray supine film showed multiple small bowel loops with air fluid levels. On surgery she was found to have a transmesocolic hernia. The defect in the transverse mesocolon was repaired. CONCLUSION The clinical signs and symptoms of lesser sac hernia are non-specific. These rare lesser sac hernias can be lethal. Therefore, immediate diagnosis and surgery is essential. Although a rare entity, they account for significant mortality form intestinal obstruction. We report an extremely rare case of an internal abdominal hernia through the transverse mesocolon, in a young woman.