Repair of giant inguinoscrotal hernia with loss of domain

Abstract

A massive inguinoscrotal hernia extending below the midpoint of the inner thigh, in a standing position, constitute a 'giant' inguinoscrotal hernia. A 74-year-old male presented with giant left sided inguinal hernia for the last 30 years. Patient underwent open repair under general anesthesia after perioperative respiratory exercise. Standard hernia repair identified a sliding hernia containing entire omentum, small and large bowel, and the appendix. Giant hernias pose a challenging problem because reduction of the hernia contents inside the abdominal cavity may increase intra-abdominal and thoracic pressures. Recurrence remains an issue for these patients after successful meshoplasty and debulking of abdominal contents. We describe a simple reduction with biological mesh repair, omentectomy, small bowel resection and sigmoidopexy as a viable technique for patients with greater than 50% of abdominal contents in the inguinoscrotal region with complete loss of domain.