Spontaneous Reduction of Obstructed Hernia Under General Anesthesia: A Radiology and Surgery Perspective
Imagine preparing to operate on an obstructed hernia… and as soon as general anesthesia (GA) is induced, the hernia disappears. No bulge. No obstruction. No need for surgery, right? Wrong. 🔍 What Just Happened? The phenomenon is called spontaneous reduction , where the hernia slips back into the abdominal cavity due to muscle relaxation under GA. While it may seem like a stroke of luck, this can dangerously mask underlying bowel ischemia or obstruction . 🩺 Surgical Perspective: The Hidden Danger Muscle relaxation under GA reduces intra-abdominal pressure, allowing herniated bowel to reduce. This is especially common in inguinal and femoral hernias . It might falsely reassure the team that surgery is no longer needed. But what if the reduced bowel is non-viable or strangulated ? If you close the case without inspecting the bowel, you risk missing ischemia , which may lead to perforation, peritonitis, or death . 🚩 The mo...