Laparoscopic repair of a left paraduodenal hernia presenting with acute bowel obstruction: report of a case.

An internal hernia is any protrusion of a solid organ or a hollow viscus through a defect within the abdominal cavity. Paraduodenal hernias (PDHs) are rare; however, they are the most common form of internal hernias. We present a case of a left PDH in a 59-year-old healthy woman who presented with acute bowel obstruction. The PDH was diagnosed preoperatively using computed tomography scan. Laparoscopic exploration of the abdomen was then performed for reduction of the hernia. Using this approach, we managed to close the defect with intracorporeal continuous suturing with the aim of avoiding future incarceration. The patient was discharged 60 hours postoperation in a good condition, compared with 3 to 28 days postoperation reported in most of the literature. Our search of the english language literature revealed only 16 reported cases of laparoscopic repair of PDH. We believe that laparoscopic treatment of PDH in experienced hands is recommended in selected cases as it decreases the morbidity and significantly shortens the hospital stay.