Establishment of a colostomy is frequently part of the operative procedure for a variety of surgical problems. A well-constructed colostomy can usually be managed with little inconvenience to the patient. However, occasional complications occur, one of the more common of which is a peristomal hernia. A rare complication directly attributable to a peristomal hernia has prompted this report.
Report of Case
A 70-year-old white woman was admitted to the Jefferson Medical Hospital on March 31, 1963, with the chief complaint of intermittent vomiting of three days' duration. The patient had undergone an abdominal-perineal resection for carcinoma of the rectum in 1952. Within a year following this operation, a peristomal hernia was noted. This produced no symptoms until approximately one year prior to the present admission. On occasion she noted an increase in the size of the hernia and this was associated with vomiting of clear, watery material. This would lead