Eponymous Abdominal Hernias, Part II




(1)
Department of Radiology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, USA

 



Abstract

Lower abdominal hernias comprise a wide range of protrusions, nearly each one affixed to an eponym. Above the lower pelvis can be found the Littre hernia of Meckel’s diverticulum and the Littre-Richter hernia of a part of the bowel walls. In addition to the common inguinal hernias, both direct and indirect, there is also an inguinal hernia sac containing the appendix (Amyand hernia) the Holthouse hernia just under the skin, the subperitoneal hernia of Kronlein and the infantile Malgaigne hernia [1]. The differences may be slight but the advent of CT now allows a pre-operative diagnosis of each.


Lower abdominal hernias comprise a wide range of protrusions, nearly each one affixed to an eponym. Above the lower pelvis can be found the Littre hernia of Meckel’s diverticulum and the Littre-Richter hernia of a part of the bowel walls. In addition to the common inguinal hernias, both direct and indirect, there is also an inguinal hernia sac containing the appendix (Amyand hernia) the Holthouse hernia just under the skin, the subperitoneal hernia of Kronlein and the infantile Malgaigne hernia [1]. The differences may be slight, but the advent of CT now allows a pre-operative diagnosis of each.

Eponymic femoral hernias include the Cooper-Hey protrusion and the Velpeau and Cloquet’s hernia. Just below them is the Hesselbach hernia. We begin in the lower abdomen with the possibly confusing overlap of protrusion designated by the names of Littre and Richter.

Alexis Littre (1658–1726) was a French anatomist and surgeon who was a zealous prosector. He is known also for being the first to describe the small mucous glands of the male urethra. Littre identified two abdominal hernias which hear his name-the more obscure one is a hernia of Meckel’s diverticulum into the inguinal region. That abnormality he owns alone, although now the definition of Littre’s hernia has been expanded to include herniation of any intestinal diverticulum, not just Meckel’s.

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Apr 27, 2016 | Posted by in GENERAL RADIOLOGY | Comments Off on Eponymous Abdominal Hernias, Part II

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