Internal hernia as a complication of congenital falciform ligament window.

Commonly, small bowel obstruction (SBO) is caused by either postoperative adhesions or external hernias. Internal hernias are rare, accounting for less than 2% of all cases of intestinal obstruction. An internal hernia through the falciform ligament is extremely uncommon and is usually secondary to a congenital or iatrogenic defect caused by trocars insertion. In this article, we report a case of SBO in a virgin abdomen that appeared to be caused by a congenital defect in the falciform ligament. A search of the literature was done identifying all reported cases of internal hernias caused by falciform ligament defect in order to guide diagnosis and management as well as avoidance of hernias caused by iatrogenic defects.