 |
Case Report
Strangulated Richter’s femoral hernia in a male patient: A rare and atypical presentation
1 Department of General Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA 92324, United States of America
2 School of Medicine, St-George’s University, True Blue, St. George’s, Grenada, West Indies
Address correspondence to:
Elias Wassel
MD, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, 400 N Pepper Ave, Colton, CA 92324,
United States America
Message to Corresponding Author
Article ID: 100172Z12EW2026
Access full text article on other devices
Access PDF of article on other devices
How to cite this article
Wassel E, Hormozian S, Lee M, Sanchez L, Robinson N. Strangulated Richter’s femoral hernia in a male patient: A rare and atypical presentation. J Case Rep Images Surg 2026;12(2):10–13.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Richter’s hernia is an uncommon hernia in which the anti-mesenteric bowel wall becomes entrapped within a small fascial defect. Because intestinal continuity is preserved, patients may pass stool despite ongoing ischemia, often delaying diagnosis. Richter’s hernias most commonly occur in narrow anatomical openings, and are more common in females, making this presentation in a male patient particularly rare.
Case Report: A 78-year-old male with dementia presented with four days of abdominal pain and poor oral intake. Imaging demonstrated small bowel obstruction due to a right groin hernia with surrounding edema. Urgent surgery identified a strangulated Richter’s femoral hernia with a 3-cm hemorrhagic, edematous anti-mesenteric bowel segment requiring resection and anastomosis. McVay tissue repair was performed. The patient recovered well and was discharged on postoperative day five.
Conclusion: This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for Richter’s femoral hernia in patients with unexplained groin pain to prevent ischemia, necrosis, and associated morbidity.
Keywords: Femoral hernia, Richter’s hernia, Small bowel obstruction, Strangulated hernia
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Author Contributions
Elias Wassel - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Sean Hormozian - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Final approval of the version to be published
Michelle Lee - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Luciano Sanchez - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Nia Robinson - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of the radiology, and pathology team for their role in the diagnosis and management of this case. They also thank the patient and his family for their consent to publish this case report (IRB #26-11).
Artificial intelligence (AI) use in the article
I certify that AI tools were used only for drafting or language assistance in preparation of the manuscript, and that all facts, data, and records presented in the manuscript are the authors’ own intellectual contribution, and no part of the facts, data, and records presented in the manuscript, are generated using AI tools.
The corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Elias Wassel et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
