An obturator hernia is a rare type of

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the gr ...

of the

pelvic floor The pelvic floor or pelvic diaphragm is composed of muscle fibers of the levator ani, the coccygeus muscle, and associated connective tissue which span the area underneath the pelvis. The pelvic diaphragm is a muscular partition formed by the lev ...

in which pelvic or abdominal contents protrudes through the

obturator foramen The obturator foramen (Latin foramen obturatum) is the large opening created by the ischium and pubis (bone), pubis bones of the pelvis through which nerves and blood vessels pass. Structure It is bounded by a thin, uneven margin, to which a str ...

. Because of differences in anatomy, it is much more common in women, especially

multiparous In biology and human medicine, gravidity and parity are the number of times a woman is or has been pregnant (gravidity) and carried the pregnancies to a viable gestational age (parity). These terms are usually coupled, sometimes with additional t ...

and older women who have recently lost much weight. The diagnosis is often made intraoperatively after presenting with

bowel obstruction Bowel obstruction, also known as intestinal obstruction, is a mechanical or Ileus, functional obstruction of the Gastrointestinal tract#Lower gastrointestinal tract, intestines which prevents the normal movement of the products of digestion. Eith ...

. The

Howship–Romberg sign The Howship–Romberg sign is inner thigh pain on internal rotation of the hip. It can be caused by an obturator hernia. It is named for John Howship and Moritz Heinrich Romberg.M. H. von Romberg. Pathologie und Therapie der Senisbilitäts- und Mo ...

is suggestive of an obturator hernia, exacerbated by thigh extension, medial rotation and abduction. It is characterized by lancinating pain in the medial thigh/obturator distribution, extending to the knee; caused by hernia compression of the

obturator nerve The obturator nerve in human anatomy arises from the ventral divisions of the second, third, and fourth lumbar nerves in the lumbar plexus; the branch from the third is the largest, while that from the second is often very small. Structure The ob ...

References

External links

Hernias {{disease-stub