INTERNAL hernias account for only a small percentage of intestinal obstructions. Hernias that result from defects or abnormalities of the sigmoid mesocolon are among the rarer types of internal hernia. Only 34 cases of hernia involving the sigmoid mesocolon have been reported from 1885 to the present time.1
Report of Case
This 51-year-old white man was admitted to Wilford Hall US Air Force Hospital on March 9, 1966. He had been awakened at 2 am on the day of admission with bilateral, cramping pain in the lower abdomen. The pain at first occurred every 45 to 60 seconds and then every five to seven minutes in rhythmic, low abdominal spasms. At 4 am he went to another hospital, where he was given bisacodyl suppositories and enemas, which gave good results but did not relieve the pain. Then he was given 10 mg of morphine sulphate, which offered transient relief.