Hemorrhagic Infarction of the Small Intestine due to Transmesenteric Hernia in an Adolescent: A Case Report / 대한법의학회지

ABSTRACT

Transmesenteric hernia is so infrequent that sudden unexpected death due to this condition is a very rare occurrence. Because the disease usually occurs in pediatric populations, it is a very rarely observed in adolescents or adults. We report an autopsy case of transmesenteric hernia diagnosed postmortem in an 18-year-old boy who died suddenly after complaining of acute abdominal pains with nausea. Physical examinations, simple abdominal radiographs, and abdominal CT scans failed to provide a clear diagnosis of the illness for 37 h in the hospital. At autopsy, a small round defect of the small bowel mesentery was found, through which a long segment of the small intestine herniated, accompanied by hemorrhagic infarction induced by strangulation obstruction. We would like to present and review this rare autopsy case with medicolegal viewpoints.