Internal Herniation of the Transverse Colon and Stricture of the Gastric Body: A Case Report.

Internal herniation is a protrusion of the bowel limited to the abdominal cavity. This pathology is rare and difficult to diagnose due to a wide array of symptoms that may manifest. Internal hernias have the potential to affect surrounding organs such as the stomach and adjacent bowel due to the compressive force of the protruding bowel. The effects of internal herniation commonly present in one of two ways: acute obstruction which requires emergent intervention and subacute, vague symptoms that are difficult to diagnose. This case presents the findings of a post-mortem dissection of a 92-year-old willed body donor. Dissection of the abdominal cavity revealed a large internal hernia of the transverse colon that communicated superiorly posterior to the stomach. As a result of the hernia, the stomach in this patient had a stricture of the gastric body. We assert that this stricture was formed over an extended period of time due to the lack of diagnosis and treatment of the internal hernia.