Obturator hernia

Obturator hernia
Abdominal CT scan showing obturator hernia[1]
Specialty	General surgery Hernia
Symptoms	bowel obstruction
Usual onset	rapid
Risk factors	multiparous, underweight, old age, female
Diagnostic method	Howship-Romberg sign, abdominal CT scan, Hannington-Kiff sign
Differential diagnosis	colon cancer, small bowel obstruction, small bowel hernia
Treatment	surgery, laparoscopic hernia repair
Frequency	Rare (0.07-1% of all hernias)

An obturator hernia is a rare type of hernia, encompassing 0.07-1% of all hernias,^[2] of the pelvic floor in which pelvic or abdominal contents protrudes through the obturator foramen. The obturator foramen is formed by a branch of the ischial (lower and back hip bone) as well as the pubic bone. The canal is typically 2-3 centimeters long and 1 centimeters wide, creating a space for pouches of pre-peritoneal fat.