Small bowel obstruction via herniation through an iatrogenic defect of the falciform ligament following laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Internal herniation of the small bowel through a defect in the falciform ligament and subsequent small bowel obstruction is exceedingly rare with the majority of previous cases being attributed to congenital abnormalities. As laparoscopic techniques approach the forefront of modern surgery, an iatrogenic source for a falciform ligament defect has emerged over the last decade. In this case, a 50-year-old patient presented with signs of acute small bowel obstruction 10 days after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. On diagnostic laparoscopy, part of the jejunum was found to have herniated through an opening in the falciform ligament. This was likely to have been caused by trauma during the cholecystectomy. Following relief of the obstruction, the defect was closed with polyglactin sutures.