Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Internal hernia and bowel strangulation after sacrocervicopexy surgery
By Knickerbocker KM et al.·2026·General Surgery Residency, United States·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: Internal Herniation and Small Bowel Strangulation Following Sacrocervicopexy With Mesh: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.
Plain-English summary
This case report discusses a 72-year-old woman who experienced severe stomach pain about 15 months after having surgery called sacrocervicopexy (SCerP) to treat vaginal prolapse. She went to the emergency room and needed another surgery to fix a hernia in her abdomen, which led to the removal of part of her small intestine because it wasn't getting enough blood. There aren't many documented cases like this, so doctors don't have clear guidelines on how to handle complications from SCerP, especially regarding the closure of the area where the hernia occurred. The report suggests that more research is needed to understand the best practices for managing these situations after SCerP.
Abstract
This case report presents evidence supporting further investigation into the surgical steps and complications of sacrocervicopexy (SCerP). The patient is a 72-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department (ED) with sudden-onset severe abdominal pain, 15 months after undergoing SCerP for vaginal prolapse. She was taken to the operating room for the reduction of a retroperitoneal herniation and subsequently required small bowel resection due to ischemic bowel. There is a scarcity of documented cases of retroperitoneal herniation following SCerP, resulting in a lack of established guidelines for management of the retroperitoneal defect created during the index operation. Retroperitoneal herniation after SCerP is rarely reported, and the role of retroperitoneal closure following SCerP remains unclear. Further research is needed to assess outcomes following SCerP without retroperitoneal closure.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42005124