A left paraduodenal hernia causing acute bowel obstruction: a case report

We present the case of a 54-year old woman who presented twice at our emergency department with progressive abdominal pain. Over the last few years, multiple short periods of abdominal pain had occurred: the pain always resolved spontaneously after a few hours. She had no past medical history. CT scan revealed a sac-like mass of small bowel loops to the left of the ligament of Treitz, consistent with the diagnosis of a left paraduodenal hernia. On laparotomy, a left paraduodenal hernia with incarceration of small bowel loops was found; the herniated loops were reduced and the hernia orifice closed. The anatomy, treatment and importance of considering this uncommon diagnosis when examining a patient with acute small bowel obstruction are discussed.