Unusual Contents of Inguinal Hernia Sac. An Approach to Management

Background: unusual contents of hernia sac are uncommon, but are likely to be encountered by a surgeon in his career due to the frequency of hernia repair. The aim of this study, is to present our experience of unusual contents in inguinal hernia sac, discuss its management and review the relevant literature with regards to others experience. Patients and methods: retrospective study of 662 patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair over an 8 year period from 2000 to 2008 was carried out. Results: seven patients presented with unusual contents in inguinal hernia sac; an incidence of 1.05%. Three of them had vermiform appendix, with acute appendicitis (Amyand’s Hernia) noted in one of them. All patients underwent appendicectomy with repair of hernia, with mesh being employed only in patients with normal appendix. In 2 cases urinary bladder had herniated and there was one case each of ovarian cyst and fallopian tube with ovary as its content. In all these patients hernia repair was carried out after carefully reducing the contents. Conclusion: unusual contents of hernia may pose a surgical dilemma during hernia repair even to an experienced surgeon. Although rare, a hernia may contain vermiform appendix and exceptionally it may be acutely inflamed. Tubal and ovarian herniation in an inguinal hernia may be found in adult and perimenopausal women, though the incidence is reported to be more common in children. Urinary bladder herniation occurs with similar incidence as tubo ovarian hernia; however it requires special attention because of the risk of iatrogenic bladder injury during inguinal dissection. Though appendix as a content is dealt with by appendicectomy followed by hernioplasty, every effort should be made to preserve other organs found in the hernia sac to achieve an uneventful postoperative period.