title: Hernia through an iliac crest bone graft site: report of a case and review of the literature.
abstract: The iliac crest is a common donor site for autogenous bone graft as it offers the advantage of easy access and a relatively large and safe supply of bone. One of the less frequently reported complications of harvesting bone grafts from the iliac crest is a graft-site hernia. In the last decade less than 15 cases have been reported, however the true incidence of this complication is unknown. We report a case of iliac crest bone graft hernia in an obese diabetic female. The significant feature of this case was a large swelling six weeks postoperatively that was thought to be a hematoma. The actual diagnosis of hernia was made on the operating table during an attempt to evacuate the hematoma. Hence a high degree of suspicion is needed to diagnose a hernia following an iliac crest bone graft, particularly in obese patients and the suspicion should lead to confirmation by a CT scan.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, James Paget Hospital NHS Trust, Lowestoft Road, Great Yarmouth, United Kingdom NR31 6LA.
authors.forename: Vamsi R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Velchuru
authors.forename: Sandesh G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Satish
authors.forename: G John
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.forename: Hugh G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Sturzaker
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000601:surgery; D006406:Hematoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D006547:Hernia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D059685:Herniorrhaphy; D006801:Humans; D007085:Ilium / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D009852:Omentum; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous