Post-traumatic synchronous twin inter-muscular abdominal and diaphragmatic hernias: A rare presentation.

Simultaneous occurrence of traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) and traumatic diaphragmatic hernia (TDH) is uncommon. Our report documents the rare delayed presentation of simultaneous occurrence of TAWH and TDH in a patient who sustained a bicycle handlebar injury as a consequence of the bicycle he was riding colliding with a motorbike in a road-traffic accident. Excellent outcome could be achieved in this patient with surgical repair without requiring the use of a mesh.

Traumatic Abdominal Wall Hernia (TAWH): Repair by using a Prolen Mesh

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia after blunt abdominal trauma is rare. The prevalence of traumatic abdominal wall hernia in published series is approximately 1%. Recently, by the use of computed tomography has increased the number of occult traumatic abdominal wall hernias (TAWH). A 47-year-old woman presented to the emergency room soon after a traffic accident. She was fully conscious and complained of diffuse, dull, abdominal pain. She had a seat belt on at the time of the accident. Initial computed tomography showed that the lower left abdominal wall had a defect and that a part of the small bowel had herniated through the defect. During the operation, we made an incision at the defect site and confirmed the defect. The defect size was about 15x5 cm. The muscle layers were repaired in layers with absorbable sutures. Prolen mesh was layed down and fixed on the site of the repaired muscle defect. After 6 months, hernia had not recurred, and no weakness of the repaired abdominal wall layers was identified. The patient`s postoperative body functions were normal.

Traumatic Abdominal Wall Hernia (TAWH): A Case Study Highlighting Surgical Management

We report a rare case of traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) caused by a traffic accident. A 47-year-old woman presented to the emergency room soon after a traffic accident. She complained of diffuse, dull abdominal pain and mild nausea. She had no history of prior abdominal surgery or hernia. We found a bulging mass on her right abdomen. Plain abdominal films demonstrated a protrusion of hollow viscus beyond the right paracolic fat plane. Computed tomography (CT) showed intestinal herniation through an abdominal wall defect into the subcutaneous space. She underwent an exploratory surgery, followed by a layer-by-layer interrupted closure of the wall defect using absorbable monofilament sutures without mesh and with no tension, despite the large size of the defect. Her postoperative course was uneventful.

Abdominal Traumatic Handlebar Hernia

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is an unusual type of hernia that may follow direct blunt trauma to the abdomen. Moreover, TAWH that is caused by bicycle handlebars is a rare finding. Despite an overall increase in the incidence of blunt abdominal trauma, the cases of TAWH remain rare, probably due to the elasticity of the abdominal wall for resisting the shear forces generated by a traumatic impact. Although the first case was described by Selby in 1906, very few cases of TAWH have been reported in the literature. Also, "Handlebar hernia" was described by Dimyan et al. in 1980. These injuries are localized hernias resulting from local blunt trauma to the abdominal wall from an object with insufficient force to penetrate the skin, yet this trauman is able to disrupt the deeper tissues of the muscle and fascia. The significance of such hernias is underestimated, and although they can be not immediately life-threatening, they can be fatal if associated with such complications as incarceration and strangulation. We describe here a case of traumatic handlebar hernia in a 55-year old man who presented with left lower quadrant pain that was caused by a motorcycle accident.