Acute appendicitis within a recurrent inguinal hernia presenting as epididymo-orchitis

Amyand's Hernia: Incarcerated Appendicitis in a Recurrent Inguinal Hernia in an Adult

Inguinal hernias are among the most common cases presented to a surgeon. In spite of extensive research and clinical experience over centuries, inguinal hernias still pose anatomical challenges for operating surgeons, especially with a propensity for recurrence. One such complicated entity is the Amyand's hernia - defined as an inguinal hernia contained within the hernial sac - the vermiform appendix - as the herniated content. It is a rare clinical presentation and carries with it certain complexities with regard to operative decisions and clinical management. We present a case of a 71-year-old male presenting with a recurrent inguinal hernia, with an incarcerated, inflamed appendix as the content; managed surgically with appendicectomy and herniorraphy, without the use of a prosthetic mesh.

Implications of the presence of the vermiform appendix inside an inguinal hernia (Amyand's hernia): a systematic review of the literature

PURPOSE

To identify and sum all available evidence pertaining to the management of Amyand's hernia (AH).

METHODS

A systematic search of the MedLine, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases was performed for studies published until January 2020.

RESULTS

In total, 111 studies incorporating 161 patients were identified, 96 (86.4%) being case reports, 11 (9.9%) case series, and 4 (3.7%) retrospective patient cohorts. Mean patient age was 58.5 ± 19.6 years with 136 (83.9%) being males and 25 (16.1%) females. Furthermore, 149 (92.5%) cases were right-sided hernias while 12 (7.5%) cases were left-sided. Overall, 62.3% of patients presented emergently and 77.3% of patients' cohort were eventually diagnosed with incarcerated AH. Preoperative diagnosis of AH was established in 23.1% of patients and was achieved either by ultrasound (25%) or CT scan (75%). Operative findings consisted of normal appendix in 73 (45.4%) cases, uncomplicated appendicitis in 62 (38.5%) patients, and perforated appendix in 26 (16.1%). Regarding patients with appendicitis, mesh placement was reported for 17 (21.2%), herniorrhaphy was performed for 51 (63.7%) while 12 (15.1%) patients did not undergo hernia repair during the initial operation. Mesh utilization rates were significantly higher in patients with a normal appendix. Seven cases involved AH containing appendiceal neoplasms. Thirteen cases (8.6%) of postoperative complications were documented and a single case of postoperative death.

CONCLUSION

AH is a rare type of inguinal hernia usually complicated by appendicitis. Hernia reconstruction should be tailored to each patient individually according to the extent of inguinal canal inflammation.

Suppurative appendicitis presenting acute scrotal pain: a rare condition may confuse surgeons

Scrotal pain presentation has many differential diagnoses such as testicular torsion is surgical emergency. For this reason, it is necessary for surgeons to differentiate between diseases for choosing the best treatment approach. We have reported a rare condition of 19-year-old male case had an atypical scrotal pain presentation of appendicitis. He was admitted to emergency service with 4 days history of pain in abdomen and testis. In physical examination, there is tenderness in right lower quadrant, right inguinal region and scrotum. Testicular torsion and appendicitis were roll-out in sonography. Because of low sensitivity of sonography in diagnose of appendicitis and high suspicious of surgeons, the case was candidate for an open appendectomy surgery. Acute suppurative appendicitis that presenting testicular pain is rare for making the best diagnosis and prevents multiple surgeries in such cases, cooperation of urology, general surgery and radiology specialists with high index of suspicion is required.