Small Bowel Evisceration Following Vaginal Hysterectomy is a General Surgical Emergency–A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Small bowel evisceration through the vagina is a rare condition, which tends to affect post-menopausal women who have undergone vaginal hysterectomy. It is a surgical emergency with a favourable outcome if diagnosed and treated in a timely fashion. Delay in diagnosis can precipitate infarction of small bowel loops with associated morbidity and mortality. Treatment involves laparotomy, reduction of the incarcerated loops (plus/minus small bowel resection) and repair of the vaginal rupture. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of small bowel evisceration through the vagina, to review the literature pertaining to this topic and to raise awareness of this condition in the general surgical community.