Citation

Makaranka S, Hever P, Cavale N. BMJ Case Rep. 2018; 2018: e224880.

Affiliation

Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bcr-2018-224880

PMID

30030247

Abstract

Traumatic abdominal wall hernia (TAWH) is a rare type of hernia occurring secondary to blunt trauma. We report a case of seatbelt-associated TAWH in a 20-year-old woman who was presented to hospital via ambulance following a road traffic collision with a distended abdomen, peritonitis and free gas, with an associated TAWH identified on CT imaging. The patient underwent delayed surgical repair of her hernia using biological mesh, without recurrence, with a clinical course complicated by pregnancy. We use this report to demonstrate late repair as a safe and effective option for management of TAWH in pregnancy, with active surveillance and a multidisciplinary approach by the obstetric, plastic surgery and trauma teams.

© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2018. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

Language: en

Keywords

obstetrics, gynaecology and fertility; plastic and reconstructive surgery; trauma