Congenital hernias are rare findings, and their diagnosis is often delayed due to an incorrect interpretation of the clinical symptoms and/or images. We present a rare case of left-sided paraduodenal hernia at the ligament of Treitz, followed by a review of the literature.

We report the case of a 20-year-old patient with unusual, recurring abdominal pain in the past 3 months. There were no previous operations or past illnesses in the patient's history. The computed tomographic scan showed a misplacement of small bowel into the lesser sack. With high suspicion of an internal hernia, we performed a diagnostic laparoscopy, which revealed a Treitz hernia. The reduction and fixation could be carried out fully with minimally invasive surgery with an uneventful postoperative course and complete recovery.

A Treitz hernia is a rare cause of unspecific abdominal pain and the clinical signs are difficult to interpret. However, its knowledge may help to avoid emergency procedures and provide quick recovery of the patients. We recommend the laparoscopic approach as the first choice of treatment in all cases of internal hernia in the absence of peritoneal irritation or severe bowel obstruction.

Left paraduodenal hernia (LPDH) is a retrocolic internal hernia of congenital origin that develops through the fossa of Landzert, and extends into the descending mesocolon and left portion of the transverse mesocolon. It carries significant overall risk of mortality, yet delay in diagnosis is not unusual due to subtle and elusive features. Familiarisation with the embryological and anatomical features of this rare hernia is essential for surgical management. This is especially important with respect to vascular anatomy as major mesenteric vessels form intimate relationships with the ventral rim and anterior portion of the hernia. As an illustrative case, we describe our experience with a striking example of LPDH, particularly focusing on the inherent diagnostic challenges and associated critical vascular anatomy. We advocate the role of diagnostic laparoscopy; however caution that decision to safely proceed with laparoscopic repair must occur only with confident identification of the vascular anatomy involved.

A case of congenital obstructed Treitz's hernia presenting with bilious vomiting in a newborn baby girl has been presented. Internal herniation of contents within a peritoneal sac of the right paramesocolic hernia formed abdominal cocoon which simulated volvulus neonatorum. Plain radiographs and contrast studies were helpful in defining the nature and extent of the lesion. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy, reduction of small bowel contents from the hernial sac forming an abdominal cocoon, Ladd's procedure to correct associated midgut malrotation with incidental appendicectomy uneventfully and recovered well.

An internal hernia is the herniation of an intestinal segment into an intra-peritoneal fossa, is an uncommon cause for intestinal obstruction and is difficult to diagnose preoperatively.

We report a male patient 19 years old presenting with acute abdomen due to a strangulated Waldayer's hernia.

The paraduodenal hernias are more common in males (M:F ratio 3:1). The average age at diagnosis is 38.5 years clinically presenting with chronic intermittent post-parandial abdominal pain. An accurate incidence of paraduodenal hernias in infancy and childhood is unknown, but is quite rare.

Internal complicated hernias are difficult to diagnose and once discovered intra-operative anatomical variations are present with special attribution to the management of the hernia sac.

Internal hernias are uncommon in children and their clinical and imaging findings have not been widely addressed.

To determine the spectrum of clinical and imaging findings of internal hernia (IH) in children and to highlight diagnostic features.

Review of clinical, imaging and surgical findings in 12 children with surgically proven IH.

IH found in seven girls and five boys. Five of the children were neonates and seven were between ages 8-17 years. All neonates presented acutely and had transmesenteric internal hernias (TMIH) (four congenital, one acquired). In the older children, five presented with chronic symptoms and two presented with acute symptoms; the former had paraduodenal hernias (all congenital) and the latter had a congenital pericecal and an acquired TMIH. Only 2/5 neonatal TMIH could be appreciated on GI contrast examination. All five paraduodenal hernias were easily diagnosed on UGI series. CT, in two older children, depicted a paraduodenal hernia and the acquired TMIH. In 7/10 (70%) congenital IH, there was associated malrotation (in all four right paraduodenal hernias).

There is a wide spectrum of clinical and imaging findings of IH in children. TMIH were difficult to appreciate on GI contrast examinations, but paraduodenal hernias were easy to appreciate. One must have a high index of suspicion for right paraduodenal hernia if UGI series shows duodenum and proximal small bowel to the right of the spine.

Computed tomography (CT) plays an important role in diagnosis of acute intestinal obstruction and planning of surgical treatment. Although internal hernias are uncommon, they may be included in the differential diagnosis in cases of intestinal obstruction, especially in the absence of a history of abdominal surgery or trauma. CT findings of internal hernias include evidence of small bowel obstruction (SBO); the most common manifestation of internal hernias is strangulating SBO, which occurs after closed-loop obstruction. Therefore, in patients suspected to have internal hernias, early surgical intervention may be indicated to reduce the high morbidity and mortality rates. In a study of 13 cases of internal hernias, nine different types of internal hernias were found and the surgical and radiologic findings were correlated. The following factors may be helpful in preoperative diagnosis of internal hernias with CT: (a) knowledge of the normal anatomy of the peritoneal cavity and the characteristic anatomic location of each type of internal hernia; (b) observation of a saclike mass or cluster of dilated small bowel loops at an abnormal anatomic location in the presence of SBO; and (c) observation of an engorged, stretched, and displaced mesenteric vascular pedicle and of converging vessels at the hernial orifice.

The role of computerized tomography (CT) in evaluating patients with small bowel obstruction (SBO) has been extensively described in the current literature. We report a rare case of SBO related to a surgically proven paracecal hernia, diagnosed on an abdominal CT scan preoperatively.

The aim of this study is to report the CT findings in patients proved to have congenital internal hernia (CIH) as a cause of small bowel obstruction (SBO). The CT scans of 11 patients (9 men and 2 women, with ages ranging from 20 years to 95 years (mean 60.7 years), presenting with clinical symptoms and signs of SBO without previous abdominal surgery or trauma, were retrospectively reviewed. In all patients features of SBO were seen. In addition, in nine of them a saclike mass, containing dilated small bowel loops with mesenteric vessels converging toward its orifice was demonstrated and a pre-operative diagnosis of an incarcerated internal hernia was suggested. In the other two, a closed loop obstruction was seen without an identifiable cause. Mural thickening of the entrapped loops within the hernial sac was seen in five patients, with hypoperfusion in four of them, blurring of the mesenteric vessels with localized mesenteric fluid was demonstrated in seven and free peritoneal fluid in 10. All patients were operated on following the CT and an incarcerated CIH was confirmed. Gangrenous bowel was present at exploration in seven cases. One patient died. In conclusion, in patients with intact abdomen and SBO, CT may be the first imaging modality to discover a clinically unsuspected CIH, which requires prompt surgical intervention. Radiologists should be aware of the CT features suggestive of a SBO caused by CIH, i.e. a saclike mass of dilated small bowel loops, as a correct diagnosis will influence patient management and prognosis.

A 3-year-old girl presented with a protein-losing enteropathy caused by left paraduodenal hernia, as diagnosed by computed tomography and a small-bowel follow-through image. The patient received surgical treatment, and her postoperative course was uneventful. Nineteen days later, the serum protein and albumin had recovered to normal levels. As well as providing the first description of left paraduodenal hernia accompanied with protein-losing enteropathy, we also review the pertinent literature.

The role of computed tomography in the evaluation of patients with small bowel obstruction has been extensively described in the current literature. We report a rare case of small bowel obstruction related to a surgically proved left-side paraduodenal hernia detected on abdominal computed tomography.

Malrotation with volvulus is one of the true surgical emergencies of childhood. Prompt radiological diagnosis is often paramount to achieving a good outcome. An understanding of the normal and anomalous development of the midgut provides a basis for understanding the pathophysiology and the clinical presentation of malrotation and malrotation complicated by volvulus. In this essay, the radiologic findings of malrotation and volvulus are reviewed and illustrated with particular attention to the child with equivocal imaging findings.

We present a case of a 29-yr-old female nurse who presented with an 8-h history of abdominal pain. She had had similar episodes (twice/yr) over the last 5 yr, and the pain had usually resolved spontaneously. Prior investigations including laboratory studies, plain films of the abdomen, an abdominal and pelvic ultrasound, and a CT scan yielded no diagnosis. Her pain was previously considered to be either psychosomatic or a variant of irritable bowel syndrome. On this admission, an evaluation and subsequent enteroclysis revealed a left paraduodenal hernia. The importance of considering paraduodenal hernias in the differential diagnosis of unexplained intermittent abdominal pain is discussed here.