'Little old lady's hernia' causing small bowel obstruction in a man: a case report with a review of literature on the pathophysiology of obturator hernias

Commonly known as 'little old lady's hernia', obturator hernias are usually seen in frail, octogenarian multiparous women reporting non-specific nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain and anteromedial thigh pain. They are exceedingly rare; even less frequently are they diagnosed preoperatively, with the vast majority being found incidentally at laparotomy for small bowel obstruction. This case report describes an atypical presentation of a 'little old lady's hernia' in a man, in whom, thanks to high degree of clinical suspicion, an incarcerated obturator hernia was diagnosed preoperatively and treated successfully.