Obturator Hernia, an unusual cause of small bowel obstruction: Radiographic and surgical findings

Rabie, Soultana and Abdenbi, Azzi and Fadi, Benaghmouch and achraf, Laiz and Younes, Aggouri and Said, Ait Laalim (2025) Obturator Hernia, an unusual cause of small bowel obstruction: Radiographic and surgical findings. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 26 (1). pp. 3833-3836. ISSN 2581-9615

Obturator hernia is a rare condition, it contributes to about 1% of incidence of all hernias, even less frequently are they diagnosed preoperatively, with the vast majority being found incidentally at laparotomy for small bowel obstruction. Diagnosing an obturator hernia clinically is a challenging one due to vague signs and symptoms. Pelvic CT is almost 100% accurate in the diagnosis of obturator hernia and should be the modality of choice in older patients presenting with intestinal obstruction of unknown etiology. This case report describes a thin elderly woman, with a history of 5 days acute abdominal pain, which was correctly diagnosed before surgery as an incarcerated obturator hernia using CT.