Traumatic lumbar hernia

Abstract

Traumatic lumbar hernia is a rare consequence of blunt abdominal injury. In these cases, intraabdominal visceral injuries are common. Although physical examination is important for this diagnosis, computed tomography is valuable for confirming the diagnosis, eliminating associated intraabdominal injuries and deciding the treatment modality of traumatic lumbar hernia. If there is a suspicion of associated strangulation and/or intraabdominal injury, emergent laparotomy or laparoscopy must be performed. If there is no suspicion of these, extraperitoneal repair primarily or with prosthetic material can be performed safely. We present a case of an isolated acute lumbar hernia due to blunt abdominal trauma, and we discuss mesh repair without laparotomy as the treatment modality.