Urinary bladder diverticulum as a content of femoral hernia: a case report and review of literature

BACKGROUND Long standing increase of the intravesical pressure resulting from urinary bladder outlet obstruction can cause both secondary bladder diverticula and groin hernias. In rare cases, a diverticulum can be pulled by a hernia sac and becomes a component of the hernia itself. Such cases were encountered in inguinal, perineal and obturator hernias. However, to our knowledge, there has been only one case reported in the literature of a bladder diverticulum herniated in to the femoral canal. METHODS Literature search using PubMed was performed to identify all published cases of herniation of bladder diverticula in to the femoral canal. RESULTS Literature search revealed only one case before the present one. CONCLUSION Urinary bladder diverticula should be considered as a possible content of femoral hernias especially in males with long standing obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms. As the clinical features of such a case are not specific, a high index of suspicion along with proper imaging studies are of great help in making a timely diagnosis to improve the outcome.