Atypical small bowel obstruction following repair of inguinal hernia: a case of intestinal stenosis of Garre.

We report an atypical case of small bowel obstruction 10 days after the repair of an inguinal hernia that had been recurrently reduced. A preoperative diagnosis of the rare intestinal stenosis of Garre is difficult, and was based on the clinical, operative and pathological findings. Forced reduction of a hernia is not recommended because of the risk of rendering its contents ischaemic with subsequent fibrotic stenosis, or reducing a strangulated bowel into the abdominal cavity with subsequent perforation and peritonitis.