Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health

The use of point-of-care ultrasound for the diagnosis of bowel obstructions and hernias is becomingincreasingly common in the emergency department (ED). Using a relatively rare case of an incisionalport hernia, we demonstrate the ultrasound findings of a strangulated hernia causing a partialsmall bowel obstruction. A 46-year-old female presented four days following a laparoscopic surgerycomplaining of abdominal pain, nausea and lack of bowel movements. There was a palpable massin the left lower quadrant under the 12mm trocar port incision. ED point-of-care ultrasound revealedherniated akinetic loops of bowel through her laparoscopy incision. This is the first case report todescribe the use of point-of-care ultrasound for the diagnosis of a strangulated incisional port herniaat the bedside. [West J Emerg Med. 2015;16(3):450–452.]