A ventral incisional hernia with herniation of the left hepatic lobe and review of the literature

Ventral incisional hernias with hepatic herniation are extremely rare. Only six cases have been reported so far in the literature. We report a case of a ventral incisional hernia with hepatic herniation along with a review of the literature. A 70-year-old female patient with a history of coronary artery bypass graft surgery 6 months earlier, was admitted to our hospital with symptoms of epigastric swelling and discomfort for 3 months. On examination, she had a mild tender 5 cm×5 cm epigastric lump and was diagnosed as ventral incisional hernia. Contrast-enhanced CT of the abdomen revealed a ventral hernia with herniation of omentum and left hepatic lobe. The patient underwent onlay mesh repair and is asymptomatic at 1-month follow-up. There is a need for evaluation of risk factors for this type of ventral incisional hernia and to recognise it as a special entity.