Lumbar hernia: clinical analysis of 11 cases.

BACKGROUND

Lumbar hernia is a relatively rare phenomenon. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical manifestation, the diagnosis of lumbar hernia, and the outcome of the surgical procedure.

METHODS

Eleven cases of lumbar hernia were studied by clinical observation retrospectively from July 1998 to July 2000.

RESULTS

All the patients were diagnosed clinically and confirmed operatively. The typical manifestation was a semi-spherical painful mass in the superior or inferior triangle. If the gut was incarcerated, bowel obstruction may subsequently develop. Ten of the eleven patients were treated successfully.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical symptoms and signs usually allow for easy diagnosis. Excision of the sac and high ligation, followed by repair using either surrounding tissue or prosthetic material, provided satisfactory results.