A case report and review of lumbar hernia

Abstract

The lumbar area is limited by the bone structures (superiorly by the 12th rib and inferiorly by the iliac crest); furthermore, several important nerves including the genitofemoral nerve, lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerves are all exposed in this area after retroperitoneal dissection during lumbar hernia repair [1, 2], which render the risk and challenge for lumbar hernia repair and mesh fixation. In addition, the superior and inferior lumbar hernias, although had the same name of lumbar hernia, are quite different according to the anatomical location and there is no standard and preferred method for lumbar hernia repair. However, strangulated primary lumbar hernia, although rare, may occur in about 9% of cases, especially in elderly patients [3, 4].