English

Abstract

Tumors presenting in the inguinal hernia sac are considered to be extremely rare, with the more common neoplasms metastasizing from the gastrointestinal tract, ovary and prostate. We report the case of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma identified in the inguinal hernia sac following hernia repair. Patient presented with obstructed inguinal hernia and was taken up for emergency surgery. Twelve previous cases of a lymphoma diagnosed during hernia repair have been described in the English literature. This case illustrates the value of routine microscopic evaluation of hernia sacs found from inguinal/femoral herniorrhaphies, as it may be the primary presentation of an asymptomatic metastatic lymphoma. Additionally, it underscores the importance of the surgeon's role in screening hernia sacs if the practice of submitting only macroscopically abnormal specimens for microscopic evaluation is adopted.